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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2021-08-25 Daily Xml
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Bills

Planning, Development and Infrastructure (Design Standards) Amendment Bill

Introduction and First Reading

Ms MICHAELS (Enfield) (10:32): Obtained leave and introduced a bill for an act to amend the Planning, Development and Infrastructure Act 2016. Read a first time.

Second Reading

Ms MICHAELS (Enfield) (10:33): I move:

That this bill be now read a second time.

I am pleased to introduce the Planning, Development and Infrastructure (Design Standards) Amendment Bill 2021. This bill is core to many of the concerns that have been raised with me since I became the shadow minister for planning. What this bill aims to aid is the implementation of design standards by the State Planning Commission.

As we all know, in 1837 Colonel William Light had a vision and it was a vision for South Australia that solidified in 1840. Light's vision was that of a wide city, and looking over Montefiore Hill, glancing over Colonel Light's vision, we can see that Adelaide was clearly carefully planned to be a city of space and freedom and one that complements nature. It is a healthy city, with an intelligent insight into the integrity of our landscape.

However, there have been significant concerns expressed to me by various stakeholders about the quality of urban infill. This represents a difficult challenge, particularly for metropolitan Adelaide. We have estimates that general infill has contributed to approximately 37 per cent of the net dwelling increase from 2010 to 2019. It is this pressure that people are seeing in their streets and around their neighbourhoods.

I have discovered in a short amount of time that planning and urban development is a tightrope between growth and livability. I have also formed the view that there are things that we can do better to enable both boxes to be ticked and better design is one of those things. In introducing this bill, I seek an amendment to the Planning, Development and Infrastructure Act that will enable a future Malinauskas Labor government to work on implementing design standards under an amended section 69 of the Planning, Development and Infrastructure Act to greater protect the character and feel of our local communities.

South Australians are proud and hold dear the character and history of their neighbourhoods, but many fear that their street's charm is at risk and I can understand that. We were recently named the third most livable city in the world by The Economist Intelligence Unit's Global Liveability Index for 2021. This study looked at health care, stability, culture, environment, education and infrastructure. It is clear that the way we live in Adelaide is the envy of the world; however, that can quickly turn if we take our eye off the ball.

Poor design outcomes have allowed character homes to be demolished and replaced with concrete boxes that do not reflect the character of the existing streetscape. While these builds may be cost efficient to construct, many feel they are devaluing the character of their neighbourhoods. The outcomes of good planning decisions are years in the making and we see the results of past decisions all around us in the buildings, streets, suburbs and regions that make up our state today.

When you get building design right, everyone benefits. Design quality is an important contributor for the retention of current residents and for future home owners. With the right design, new builds should add value, not devalue our streetscapes. High-quality design is a driving force in making a place livable and contributes to our wellbeing and aspiration to call a street home. Legislative changes can find a balance between new builds and preserving the character and livability of our local streets.

We cannot avoid urban infill. We cannot grow as a city, as a state and as an economy if we do, but we can ensure that, as with many well-designed cities around the world, we can grow and still be livable. That change starts with the design of new builds and that can be reinforced through a commitment to change the act. We know in this place the power of words. Today, I stand to just change one word and that is a powerful change that will have a positive impact on preserving and enhancing the livability of our streets.

Currently, section 69(1) of the Planning, Development and Infrastructure Act prescribes that the State Planning Commission may prepare design standards that relate to the public realm or infrastructure for the purposes of the act. This amendment bill seeks to remove the discretion of the commission to prepare design standards; rather, it will dictate that it is a requirement for the planning commission to prepare design standards. Furthermore, the amendment removes the limitation that design standards relate only to public realm or infrastructure so that we can have a broader range of design standards beyond footpaths, parks and roads.

On the face of it, this might appear to be a minor change, but I suggest it is an incredibly important one and one that has real and tangible implications for the design integrity of our urban development and the livability of our streets, suburbs and regions. It is imperative that design standards permeate all levels of the planning process and are implemented clearly and consistently.

That is why I am seeking this amendment today, to strengthen the design regulations of our built environment by ensuring that people charged with shaping our suburbs of tomorrow are required by the Planning, Development and Infrastructure Act to specify design standards, principles and guidance in all instances. The importance of this amendment is the result of the disappointing position of the Marshall Liberal government in character, heritage and environmental standards in our community.

Late last year, we held a community forum with the Leader of the Opposition and Labor's candidate for Adelaide, Lucy Hood, so we could hear firsthand from Adelaide residents about their views on the new planning code during the community consultation phase. Residents were vocal about the need to protect the character and heritage of our streets and suburbs, ensuring they are not lost for future generations. Concerns regarding the general aesthetic and boxy frontages of new developments and the impact these dwellings have on the livability, character and feel of the wider streetscape was specifically highlighted by attendees.

We have all heard the saying, 'I am not against development, just not in my backyard.' It is not until something unusual or out of place happens, or we are hampered in doing something and our lives are infringed in some way, that we start paying attention. We do not need to tell this to the residents living in single-storey houses who now find themselves overshadowed by new multistorey neighbours. They are forced to live with the damaging impact of bad design on their day-to-day lives.

I can hand on heart say that I am not against development. In fact, my father worked in the building industry and I have acted for many building clients over the years. My proposition is that we can actually use design standards to have regard to a better way to build, to minimise the impact on our neighbours and on the environment. Development and urban infill certainly have a place, and we just need to plan better with a long-term vision.

Removing the word 'may' and replacing it with the word 'must' will go a long way in curbing the fear of change in the community. We need to build confidence in the community that new homes will add value, not diminish streetscape. But the need for getting the design right does not stop at a home's front door. The growing traffic congestion in our urban streets, which I am sure we are all aware of from our constituents, has led to a public outcry. From people parking across driveways to people simply not being able to find a park on the street they call home, this is a growing issue and I am sure one that we all agree needs to be fixed. Many South Australians fear that clogged streets are having an impact on the safety and livability of their communities.

As I mentioned earlier, change is hard. We have seen a lot of changes in the community over the last 20 years, but we need to ensure that legislation and regulations keep up to date with these changes. The once beloved quarter-acre block with a trusted Hills Hoist is slowly disappearing. Our backyards are being replaced with multiple homes to accommodate the changing needs of the community, and that does need to happen. While new homes may have replaced the backyard Hills Hoist, many of the developments replacing them are not being built with enough garage space to accommodate the modern standard car nor storage area for garbage bins nor many other design features.

The intention behind this bill is to ensure that design standards are implemented and go beyond the public realm in infrastructure. The content of those standards of course needs to be worked up. I would envisage that if I were fortunate enough to become the planning minister at some future point in time, we would be consulting on the content of those design standards across all relevant stakeholders. As part of a future Malinauskas government, I look forward to working with South Australian industry and government bodies to get the planning regulations right.

We need to be developing a long-term vision of what we want Adelaide to look like in 30 years, and we can at least in part use design standards, as well as our planning code, to make this vision a reality. It is too important to drop the ball on this. We want to be one of the most livable cities in the world. I want that for my children and my grandchildren, and using the levers that we have in planning and urban development, as well as infrastructure and transport, we can go a long way towards that.

When you get built design right, everyone benefits, both current and future residents of our state. Our streetscapes are a community asset. We need to ensure that we have strong design codes that protect the livability of our streets and our homes, and have it be not merely an option but a requirement. This can be achieved through the proposed amendments in the bill that I am moving today. I commend the bill to the house.

Debate adjourned on motion of Dr Harvey.

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