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Legislative Council - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2008-11-13 Daily Xml
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REGIONAL LAND USE FRAMEWORKS

The Hon. B.V. FINNIGAN (15:21): My question is to the Minister for Urban Development and Planning. Will the minister provide an update of initiatives being undertaken to provide guidance to regional South Australia on planning for the future?

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY (Minister for Mineral Resources Development, Minister for Urban Development and Planning, Minister for Small Business) (15:21): I thank the honourable member for his question, and I particularly thank him for his interest in regional South Australia and the fact that he is one of the few members in this council who lives in regional South Australia.

As part of this government's approach to regional land use planning, the entire 'Regional SA' volume of the planning strategy is being updated on a region-by-region basis. The Planning Strategy for Regional South Australia is gradually being replaced by various stand-alone volumes called 'Regional Land Use Frameworks'. This process began with the Yorke Peninsula region and the development of the Yorke Peninsula Regional Land Use Framework, which was adopted last December. The next stage of the process has begun with the publication of draft regional frameworks for the Mid North and the Far North.

I am pleased to inform the honourable member that the state government is seeking public input into the formulation of these regional frameworks and has invited public submissions as part of this consultative process. It is important that residents in South Australia's Far North and Mid North have a say about the future look of their region. This consultative process runs for two months and includes informal community meetings throughout the two regions.

The draft framework for the Far North follows a detailed collaborative process involving four local councils, the Outback Areas Community Development Trust, the Northern Regional Development Board, the northern and arid lands natural resource management boards and other state agencies.

The Far North region extends north from the Riverland and Mid North to the state borders with the Northern Territory, Queensland and New South Wales; in the north-west it extends to the Western Australian border; and in the south-west it reaches the border of the Maralinga Tjarutja Lands and the Eyre Peninsula region.

The proposed framework broadly identifies where future housing, population and industry growth is best located and not located, as the case might be, across South Australia's vast Far North region. We have to tackle the numerous changes taking place in this region due to the growth in mining, tourism and industry, as well as changes in town populations. This region encompasses more than half the geographic area of South Australia, so it is important that we plan appropriately for the challenges that lie ahead.

The Department of Planning and Local Government has consulted with the Flinders Ranges Council, the City of Port Augusta, the District Council of Coober Pedy, the Municipal Council of Roxby Downs, the majority of the unincorporated (out of council) areas of the state, and the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) lands in developing the draft framework. But now it is the public's turn to provide some feedback on that work. The Far North region does not include the City of Whyalla, which is in the Eyre Peninsula region. However, given the close relationship of the city with the Far North, the framework has been developed with input from Whyalla council.

The draft framework contains four broad maps under the headings Environmental and Cultural Assets, Economic Development, Population and Settlements, and Integrated Vision. The proposed framework also includes 18 written objectives for the Far North region to be achieved through land use and development activities across the region under those four broad headings. The strategies for achieving each of these 18 objectives are also detailed in the proposed framework.

The key resulting themes of the Far North Regional Land Use Framework are: population and industry growth, with a focus on Port Augusta, Roxby Downs and Coober Pedy; building sustainable local service towns and communities, informed by strategic infrastructure and services planning; strengthening the tourism industry in the Outback and Flinders Ranges, building on the region's rich natural and cultural assets; the expansion of mining and defence industries and associated infrastructure; and the sustainable and innovative approaches to securing water and energy supplies. Similarly, Mid North residents have been invited to have a say about the draft Mid North Regional Land Use Framework, which was also recently published.

The Mid North region stretches from south of Clare up to the Flinders Ranges and includes Port Pirie. The councils covered by the Mid North Regional Land Use Framework are: the Clare and Gilbert valleys; northern areas; Port Pirie; Peterborough; Mount Remarkable; Orroroo Carrieton, the Flinders Ranges; and Goyder. The Mid North and Southern Flinders regional development boards, the Northern and Yorke Natural Resources Management Board and other state agencies have also been involved in the development of this draft framework.

The proposed framework contains four broad maps under the headings Environmental and Cultural Assets, Economic Development, Population and Settlements, and Integrated Vision, as well as 17 as detailed objectives under each of those headings. The key themes of the draft Mid North Regional Land Use Framework are: industrial growth with a focus on the corridor from Port Pirie to Peterborough; managing growth to protect natural and industry assets south of Burra and Clare; strengthening townships; expanding active nature-based tourism, building on the Laura to Quorn corridor; and retaining built heritage and links with tourism along the Clare-Burra and Hawker corridors.

Once finalised, these regional frameworks for the Mid North and Far North will be adopted as part of the state government's Planning Strategy for South Australia. This will give the framework statutory effect and will provide formal direction to local councils and the private sector in the Far North and Mid North. In particular, these frameworks will guide the councils to update their local development plans covering both of these important regions. These development plans detail local zoning and other land use policies and are used to assess the appropriateness of all development applications within South Australia.

Development plans and proposed amendments to development plans must be consistent with the Planning Strategy for South Australia. The public consultation period which runs for both of these frameworks will continue until 12 December 2008. A copy of the documents can be found online at the Planning SA website, and hard copies and CD-ROM versions will also be available from council offices in two regions. Details of the informal community meetings are also available online at the Planning SA website. I would urge all members of the community who are concerned about the future of these regions to track down a copy of the draft framework, attend one of the informal meetings and lodge a submission so that their voice can be heard.

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