You may have noticed that “Industry” Zones have been replaced with a suite of “Employment” Zones in the Planning & Design Code.
Many Industry Zones supported a narrow range of land uses such as warehousing, storage and manufacturing. This unnecessarily constrained employment generating development.
Employment Zones are better matched to the current demands of Australia’s labour force. These Zones support a wider range of land uses including consulting rooms, shops, training/research facilities, indoor recreation facilities and even places of worship.
Adelin Holdings Pty Ltd’s multi-staged “Totness Precinct” land division is in the Employment Zone within Mt Barker District Council. URPS helped obtain approval for the first stage creating 17 lots of approximately 1,000m2 to 6,000m2 in size to accommodate a variety of commercial land uses. Fourteen allotments have already been sold off the plan, highlighting the underlying demand for employment land close to Mt Barker’s growing population.
This is a great example of the planning system supporting the economic needs of the state.
