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Legislative Council - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-06-03 Daily Xml
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GAWLER EAST DEVELOPMENT

The Hon. M. PARNELL (15:05): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Urban Development and Planning a question about developments in Gawler.

Leave granted.

The Hon. M. PARNELL: Yesterday, in relation to a question I asked about the recently released Gawler East development plan amendment, the minister curiously started talking instead about the 30-year plan for Greater Adelaide. However, I do want to follow up on the minister's response and bring it back to the issue of Gawler.

My office has been contacted by residents of Gawler about the dual role that development advisers Connor Holmes appear to be playing in two developments in that town: the Gawler racecourse redevelopment and the Gawler East rezoning. I understand that Connor Holmes has been contracted by the Gawler and Barossa Jockey Club and Thoroughbred Racing SA to advise on and project manage commercial development at the Gawler racecourse. Meanwhile, Connor Holmes appears to be assisting in the preparation of the development plan amendment to further allow commercial development to occur, including rezoning of racecourse land.

At Gawler East, the ministerial DPA, which was released recently—and the minister spoke about that yesterday—relies on at least two reports prepared by Connor Holmes on behalf of Delfin Lend Lease, and I understand that Connor Holmes is providing Delfin Lend Lease with other commercial advice related to the proposed development, as well. At the same time, Connor Holmes appears to be assisting in the development plan amendment process on behalf of the minister. My questions are:

1. Has Connor Holmes been engaged by the Department of Planning and Local Government to help prepare the Gawler East ministerial development plan amendment and, if not, what role has it played?

2. Has Connor Holmes been engaged by the Department of Planning and Local Government to help prepare the Gawler racecourse development plan amendment and, if not, what role is it playing?

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY (Minister for Mineral Resources Development, Minister for Urban Development and Planning, Minister for Small Business) (15:07): It was my intention to make a ministerial statement in relation to all these matters, given the question asked by the honourable member yesterday and also his notification that he intends to move a motion. However, I can give the information now, at least in relation to part of it.

Yesterday, Mr Parnell asked whether Connor Holmes was engaged by the Department of Planning and Local Government to help prepare the Gawler East ministerial development plan amendment. He also asked whether this was a conflict of interest because Connor Holmes represents Delfin Lend Lease in its intention to develop the land.

My advice is that the department has not engaged Connor Holmes in relation to the Gawler East development plan amendment. Connor Holmes was engaged by Delfin Lend Lease to assist in the undertaking of investigations and in the preparation of draft policy. This material was then provided to the Department of Planning and Local Government, which then considered the material presented, undertook necessary amendments so as to satisfy itself that it was in a form suitable for public consultation, and then provided this material (in the form of a draft Gawler East development plan amendment) to me to formally consider its release for public consultation. Such a process, whereby consultants are utilised in the preparation of development plan amendments—and that applies to both council and ministerial DPAs—is not an uncommon one.

Draft work is prepared but it is the council or myself, in the case of the ministerial development plan amendment (as Gawler East was), following advice from my department, who decides the final form of the draft development plan amendment that is released for consultation. The consultation process is then managed by the independent Development Policy Advisory Committee (DPAC), which also convenes a public hearing and considers all submissions, including those issues raised in the hearing, and ultimately provides advice to me on the development plan amendment. Gawler East is at that stage at present.

Connor Holmes was engaged, as I said, by Delfin as one of the groups that had a significant part of the land being developed at Gawler East. As I say, and as is not uncommon, it provided advice in relation to the development plan amendment. Certainly, the government, through the Department of Planning and Local Government, oversees the process and is responsible for releasing the development plan amendment for consultation.

Connor Holmes was engaged by the Department of Planning and Local Government to undertake different work to identify land that has the potential for urban development during the next 30 years. That work is part of investigations being undertaken to prepare a 30-year plan for Greater Adelaide as part of the government's announced planning reforms arising from the 2008 Planning and Development Review.

Gawler East is not part of the area being investigated under that review as it is already within the current urban boundary. Gawler East was, in fact, as I indicated yesterday, brought within the urban growth boundary in December 2007. The plan for Greater Adelaide is intended to form part of the South Australian Planning Strategy. The review recognised the need to proactively plan for a growth in population and to ensure that the supply of land for housing and employment keeps pace with current trends and demand.

South Australia is currently projected to potentially reach 2 million people by 2027, which is 23 years ahead of South Australia's Strategic Plan target. Planning for this growth is essential to prevent ad hoc development and to ensure that South Australia has the best urban arrangements possible to protect our standard of living, including housing affordability and our environment and natural assets. In line with the recommendations of the Planning and Development Review, the government adopted a policy that there should be 15 years' supply of land in residential zoning and an additional 10 years' supply of land identified for future urban development.

The planning review also recommended greater emphasis on monitoring housing demand and land supply. Further, it recommended that the vehicle to drive this should be a reinvigorated annual production of the Metropolitan Development Program to maintain a rolling land supply stock to foster timely urban development.

The Department of Planning and Local Government commissioned Connor Holmes from a shortlisted tender process in October 2008 to identify the preferred locations and extent of land required to accommodate future urban expansion in Greater Adelaide. The opportunity to tender was offered to five companies within South Australia considered by Planning SA to have the necessary extent of knowledge and depth of skill to successfully complete the project. Three companies submitted tenders and Connor Holmes was chosen as the successful tender.

The acquisition plan for the tender was endorsed by the accredited purchasing unit of PIRSA (Planning SA was then part of PIRSA) in late September 2008, and it was approved by the State Procurement Board on 13 October 2008.

The reason for commissioning this work was to allow the government to make informed decisions regarding the future growth of Greater Adelaide beyond the current urban growth boundary. The consultants were required to identify and assess a full range of urban development options to enable the government's policy objective for a rolling 25-year broadacre land supply to be established and maintained.

Under instructions from the Department of Planning and Local Government, Connor Holmes was requested to, at a minimum, investigate proposed expansions with the metropolitan fringe and townships, including, as examples, the areas of Mt Barker, Roseworthy, Two Wells, Playford North and Victor Harbor.

In its project proposal Connor Holmes disclosed in writing areas and projects where it had an interest either with private clients or in providing advice to the state government. I am advised that the contract for consulting services entered into between Connor Holmes and the government contains provisions that adequately protect the parties from any conflicts of interest and preserve confidentiality. Connor Holmes identified in its proposal that the firm's advantage was as follows:

...current involvement in nearly all of the growth areas identified in the preliminary list of target area, providing detailed knowledge of the opportunities and constraints impacting upon development capability and capacity in those areas and offering DPLG potential cost and/or time savings as a result of that knowledge base.

To ensure transparency, Connor Holmes has also provided DPLG with a letter identifying areas that are part of the investigations where the firm has advised clients. I am advised that Connor Holmes has also informed the department that none of the firm's directors have a personal interest in land in any of the areas identified by the consultants for potential urban development.

The Department of Planning and Local Government has critically examined the methodology used by Connor Holmes to evaluate and determine growth options and the respective opportunities and constraints of future urban development within Greater Adelaide, and it has advised me that the work is objective, independent and transparent.

DPLG has advised that the consultants have identified land and are providing the department with a comprehensive and legitimate base upon which the government can make decisions about priority areas to include in the 25 year land supply target, as well as the priority areas for rezoning in the short to medium term.

The department has assessed each land area identified by Connor Holmes and is providing me with advice regarding which areas of land should be considered for inclusion in the plan for Greater Adelaide. This independent vetting and assessment is based on consideration of wider government policy priorities, and I stress that the Department of Planning and Local Government, not the consultants, will provide me with final recommendations. In other words, the consultants provide information to the department and the department will provide advice to me.

Once developed, the plan is intended as a long-term vision of where Greater Adelaide will develop during the next 30 years. The department has been working with local government and is endeavouring to accommodate feedback received from regional groupings of councils during the initial consultation process, as well as the future strategic planning and aspirations of government agencies. It is intended to release the plan for public comment following consideration by cabinet. Submissions received on all aspects of the plan, including proposed new areas, will then be evaluated and considered against the government's policy objectives.

In relation to the 30 year plan, they are the protections the government took in relation to the Gawler East development plan amendment. The role of Connor Holmes is not uncommon in relation to the development plan; that is, providing background information, particularly to the main landowner, in this case Delfin.

The honourable member also asked about the racecourse DPA. I am not sure what role, if any, Connor Holmes played in relation to that. As I indicated yesterday, there is not a great number of planning consultants within this state. Connor Holmes and Hassell are probably the two largest. There are a few other companies that provide information, but it is not a large pool. When these companies are involved in consultancy—and members should bear in mind that they were part of a consortium; they were not the sole consultant because a number of other parties were involved in the work—appropriate protection is provided. In relation to the Gawler racecourse, I will provide that information to the honourable member.

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