More Land For Housing
The Malinauskas Labor Government will introduce a bill to vary the Environment and Food Production Areas (EFPA) so that there continues to be an ongoing supply of development ready land over the next 30 years.
Changing the EFPA boundaries to align with the Greater Adelaide Regional Plan (GARP) will unlock the potential to accommodate 61,000 new dwellings which will ensure there is a greater supply of land for housing.
Without the proposed changes, the housing crisis could continue for another generation as most of the proposed greenfield growth sites identified in GARP could not be rezoned and developed within the next 15 to 20 years.
The GARP identifies land within the current EFPA at Roseworthy, Two Wells, Murray Bridge, Victor Harbor, and Goolwa as potential future greenfield supply.
The proposed changes to the EFPA represent less than one per cent of agricultural lands in the Greater Adelaide region.
The GARP investigations that informed the identification of growth areas included detailed land suitability assessments which considered environmental value and the agricultural value of land.
The changes are needed now so that detailed land use and infrastructure planning can commence, to ensure South Australia is not caught short, and that mistakes of the past are not repeated.
Since taking office, the Malinauskas Labor Government has approved 30 code amendments, rezoning 500 hectares of land to create at least 7,000 new dwellings.
In contrast, the former Liberal Government only rezoned less than 190 hectares of land across its four-year term. This left the state with a catastrophic shortage of development ready land which contributed to the current housing crisis.
Over the next 30 years South Australia will need approximately 315,000 more homes. The GARP has identified a mix of greenfield development and strategic urban infill opportunities to ensure we meet this target.
When the EFPAs were created, the Government’s priority was for 85 per cent of all growth to occur through infill development which means the existing Act is inconsistent with the current objectives and needs updating.
The bill to amend the Planning, Development and Infrastructure Act 2016 to ensure EFPAs are aligned with the GARP is planned to be introduced to Parliament this week.
As put by Peter Malinauskas
We know our state is growing.
We want to make sure it grows in the right way.
That means learning the lessons of the past, where growth has not been properly calibrated.
We cannot see our suburban streets just continue to be carved up and subdivided in an uncontrolled manner.
We must grow in a way that gives people choice, whether that be living in close proximity in the city or raising a family on a bigger block in the suburbs.
As put by Nick Champion
We need rolling development ready land supply to ensure we don’t face another housing crisis.
Changes to the legislation will align the EFPA to government policy, which states there is no longer a target for greenfield vs infill development.
The total amount of land anticipated to be removed from the EFPA in the Greater Adelaide area is less than one per cent of the current area.
The GARP identifies land appropriate for housing which is neighbouring existing residential areas and is already well serviced by infrastructure.