As part of the modernisation of South Australia’s planning system, a more equitable and transparent process for coordinating and delivering infrastructure has been introduced.
This will help unlock investment across the state and create vibrant, safe, healthy and affordable neighbourhoods.
About the scheme
Infrastructure schemes are a new planning mechanism that will supplement existing arrangements such as planning conditions, deeds and bonding arrangements.
They will help facilitate clarity around infrastructure projects by providing planning practitioners, developers, councils, infrastructure providers and landowners with a new legislative mechanism and suite of financial tools to assess their infrastructure requirements and delivery options.
Infrastructure schemes will further benefit the new planning system by:
- ensuring that new infrastructure is suitably scoped, costed, timed and financed before works commence
- enabling infrastructure to be delivered when and where it is needed
- enabling stakeholders to agree on, and commit to, quality standards and areas of responsibility ahead of time
- ensuring that the cost of new infrastructure is spread fairly across all financial beneficiaries
- replacing the need for numerous infrastructure agreements between individual landowners, which can slow the process down
- enabling new growth areas to be unlocked for the benefit of the community
- enabling new infrastructure to be delivered in a more simple, transparent and expedient manner
- enhancing the quality of decision-making around infrastructure via the appointment of an independent, suitably qualified Scheme Coordinator for each new infrastructure scheme.
This new process will be realised through two new types of infrastructure scheme: a Basic Infrastructure Scheme and a General Infrastructure Scheme. Both of these schemes are set out in the Planning, Development and Infrastructure Act 2016.
There are two new types of infrastructure schemes that are being introduced under the Planning, Development and Infrastructure Act 2016: a Basic Infrastructure Scheme and a General Infrastructure Scheme.
Basic Infrastructure Schemes
Basic Infrastructure Schemes will apply to defined ‘designated growth areas’ and provide the mechanism to ensure the delivery of infrastructure that is immediately needed to make a neighbourhood liveable, such as water, sewerage, gas, electricity, telecommunications, roads, bridges and stormwater management.
Specifically, Basic Infrastructure Schemes can support the following types of infrastructure:
- roads or causeways, bridges, culverts associated roads
- stormwater management infrastructure
- embankments, wells, channels, drains, drainage, earthworks connected with infrastructure
- water infrastructure and sewerage infrastructure (Water Industry Act 2012)
- communications networks
- electrical and gas infrastructure.
Basic Infrastructure Schemes will provide enhanced transparency and certainty around infrastructure funding arrangements for investors and communities by setting down what type of infrastructure will be provided within an area, who will fund it and when it will be delivered.
Through this type of scheme, basic infrastructure will be provided in step with the pace of development and delivered when actually needed, not at some time in the future.
Basic Infrastructure Schemes will also be useful for the coordinated delivery of infrastructure where there are complex land ownership arrangements or multiple landowners, thereby precluding the need to use infrastructure deeds.
For more information, view the fact sheet for infrastructure schemes for growth areas.
General Infrastructure Schemes
General Infrastructure Schemes will help deliver a wider range of infrastructure than Basic Infrastructure Schemes and can include those related to health, education, community facilities, public transport, police, justice and emergency services. General Infrastructure Schemes will be especially important in generating urban renewal.
The types of infrastructure which can be supported by General Infrastructure Schemes will include the following:
- water infrastructure and sewerage infrastructure (Water Industry Act 2012)
- communications networks
- electrical Infrastructure
- gas Infrastructure
- transport networks or facilities
- testing or monitoring equipment
- coast protection works or sand replenishment facilities.
The following types of infrastructure can also be covered by General Infrastructure Schemes and will require landowners to opt-in 100%.
- health, education or community facilities
- public transport
- police, justice or emergency services facilities.
General Infrastructure Schemes will be able to be used to facilitate partnerships between all levels of government and the private sector and have the potential to unlock considerable infrastructure investment.
General Infrastructure Schemes may also be used as leverage to attract additional funding sources, such as Commonwealth funding. It is noted that at this time, the legislation relating to general infrastructure schemes has not been activated within the Planning, Development and Infrastructure Act 2016.
Infrastructure schemes will be overseen by a suitably qualified Scheme Coordinator.
Once a scheme is initiated, a Scheme Coordinator will be appointed by the Chief Executive of the Department, and will assume responsibility for preparing, consulting and overseeing the delivery of the scheme.
The Minister has adopted a Code of Conduct for Infrastructure Scheme Coordinators (PDF, 344.0 KB) that sets out standards of professionalism to be observed by all Scheme Coordinators.
Basic Infrastructure Schemes
The Department for Housing and Urban Development is working with state agencies and local council, landowners and service providers on the development of basic infrastructure schemes to support future housing in several designated growth areas.
As the first basic infrastructure schemes are developed, this work will establish and embed the processes for the development and implementation of infrastructure schemes to support future growth.
Read more about the work underway in the Growth Areas Infrastructure Schemes section below.
General Infrastructure Schemes
General Infrastructure Schemes will not be able to be implemented until the State Planning Commission has conducted an inquiry into the provision of essential and prescribed infrastructure and lodged a report to the Minister. This is a requirement of the Planning, Development and Infrastructure Act (PDI Act).
Growth area infrastructure schemes
To support the Concordia Code Amendment, work is underway to develop an infrastructure scheme to ensure the infrastructure requirements to service future housing within the Concordia Growth Area are well-understood and planned for.
The Minister for Housing and Urban Development has approved the initiation of the Concordia Growth Area Infrastructure Scheme and the draft outline, following consultation on the draft outline with landowners, council and persons intending to undertake development within the growth area.
An Infrastructure Scheme Coordinator will be appointed by the Chief Executive of the Department, and will assume responsibility for preparing, consulting and overseeing the delivery of the scheme.
Documents
Documents
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