The use of land for rural living development can be contentious.
Late last year the State Planning Commission released a statement highlighting it would not support any Code Amendment to rezone land for rural living development at this time. Concerns regarding the efficient provision of infrastructure were flagged as a key concern, as well as land fragmentation and the resultant impacts on valuable primary production.
Demand remains strong, however, and there is a steady supply of landowners wanting to rezone their land for this purpose. Suitably located rural living development can play a supporting role delivering manageable population growth in some regional areas.
The Local Government Association of South Australia and many of its member Councils believe that rural living development is appropriate in some circumstances. This is where the land is agriculturally unproductive, new residents can be adequately separated from productive farming, and expectations regarding minimal urban infrastructure are appropriately managed.
URPS has helped the LGA SA develop a framework to evaluate rural living proposals. This is a useful planning tool when considering the merits of rezoning land for rural living that may otherwise be thought of as contentious.
