Updating Planning Rules to Increase Accommodation Diversity

Consultation has concluded

Have your say on proposed changes to the planning rules that provide more flexibility for building apartment-style homes and retirement living across the state.

What's being decided?

The draft Accommodation Diversity Code Amendment proposes improvements to enhance housing diversity and provide more flexibility for building apartment-style homes and retirement living across the state.

Key features proposed in the draft code amendment include:

  • introducing a new form of ‘co-living’ accommodation for residences that rely on shared facilities, such as common kitchens or bathrooms
  • allowing increased building height up to 4-6 storeys for large retirement villages and supported living developments to provide more accommodation for our ageing population to continue living in their own communities
  • more flexibility in apartment design, by focussing on rules that contribute to a comfortable home, such as minimum bedroom and living area dimensions, rather than minimum total floor area
  • more guidance on how shared rooms and open spaces are designed, including being conveniently located near residences and having good access to sunlight, appropriate seating, lighting and other features
  • providing better guidance on the provision of communal recreation spaces and shared facilities for student accommodation.

We are also seeking feedback on a draft practice guideline for co-living and student accommodation outlining the features of communal spaces and shared facilities that should be provided to meet residents’ needs, such as recreational spaces and kitchen, dining, bathroom and laundry facilities.

Background

Providing greater flexibility and increasing the number of apartment-style homes that can be built is part of the South Australian Government’s Housing Roadmap to address the need for more homes for South Australians.

The State Planning Commission has reviewed the planning rules for apartments, including student accommodation, residential flat buildings, supported accommodation and retirement living.

The proposed changes aim to make it easier to build much needed housing for South Australians.

Get involved

Find out more:

Have your say by:

  • taking our survey
  • completing the PlanSA online submission form
  • emailing PlanSAsubmissions@sa.gov.au
  • Post your written submission to:
    Submission: Accommodation Diversity Code Amendment
    Planning and Land Use Services
    Department for Housing and Urban Development
    GPO Box 1815, ADELAIDE, SA 5001

You can view a hard copy of the draft code amendment during standard business hours at Level 9, 83 Pirie Street, ADELAIDE SA 5000.

What are the next steps?

We will consider all feedback in finalising the Code Amendment and all feedback will be captured in an engagement report.

The engagement report will be provided to the State Planning Commission and the Minister for Planning to assist with final decision-making.

Once a decision has been made, the engagement report, including all feedback received during consultation, will be published on the PlanSA website. Names and organisations will be included with published submissions but addresses, email addresses and phone numbers will not be published.

Have your say on proposed changes to the planning rules that provide more flexibility for building apartment-style homes and retirement living across the state.

What's being decided?

The draft Accommodation Diversity Code Amendment proposes improvements to enhance housing diversity and provide more flexibility for building apartment-style homes and retirement living across the state.

Key features proposed in the draft code amendment include:

  • introducing a new form of ‘co-living’ accommodation for residences that rely on shared facilities, such as common kitchens or bathrooms
  • allowing increased building height up to 4-6 storeys for large retirement villages and supported living developments to provide more accommodation for our ageing population to continue living in their own communities
  • more flexibility in apartment design, by focussing on rules that contribute to a comfortable home, such as minimum bedroom and living area dimensions, rather than minimum total floor area
  • more guidance on how shared rooms and open spaces are designed, including being conveniently located near residences and having good access to sunlight, appropriate seating, lighting and other features
  • providing better guidance on the provision of communal recreation spaces and shared facilities for student accommodation.

We are also seeking feedback on a draft practice guideline for co-living and student accommodation outlining the features of communal spaces and shared facilities that should be provided to meet residents’ needs, such as recreational spaces and kitchen, dining, bathroom and laundry facilities.

Background

Providing greater flexibility and increasing the number of apartment-style homes that can be built is part of the South Australian Government’s Housing Roadmap to address the need for more homes for South Australians.

The State Planning Commission has reviewed the planning rules for apartments, including student accommodation, residential flat buildings, supported accommodation and retirement living.

The proposed changes aim to make it easier to build much needed housing for South Australians.

Get involved

Find out more:

Have your say by:

  • taking our survey
  • completing the PlanSA online submission form
  • emailing PlanSAsubmissions@sa.gov.au
  • Post your written submission to:
    Submission: Accommodation Diversity Code Amendment
    Planning and Land Use Services
    Department for Housing and Urban Development
    GPO Box 1815, ADELAIDE, SA 5001

You can view a hard copy of the draft code amendment during standard business hours at Level 9, 83 Pirie Street, ADELAIDE SA 5000.

What are the next steps?

We will consider all feedback in finalising the Code Amendment and all feedback will be captured in an engagement report.

The engagement report will be provided to the State Planning Commission and the Minister for Planning to assist with final decision-making.

Once a decision has been made, the engagement report, including all feedback received during consultation, will be published on the PlanSA website. Names and organisations will be included with published submissions but addresses, email addresses and phone numbers will not be published.

Consultation has concluded

  • Update: first stage of Accommodation Diversity Code Amendment adopted

    Outcomes: Part 1

    The Minister has decided to divide the Code amendment into two separate parts, adopting Part 1 on 20 October 2025.

    Part 1 includes the bulk of the changes to the planning rules and introduces:

    • more flexibility in apartment design, by focussing on rules that contribute to a comfortable home, such as minimum bedroom and living area dimensions, rather than minimum total floor area
    • the option of providing communal amenities like rooftop gardens and barbecue areas in apartment buildings instead of private balconies
    • a new form of ‘co-living’ accommodation for residences that rely on shared facilities
    • more guidance on how shared rooms and open spaces are designed
    • better guidance on communal recreation spaces and shared facilities for student accommodation
    • a new overlay across most suburban residential zones, allowing increased building height for large retirement villages and supported living developments of up to 4-6 storeys, with rules in place to manage impacts on neighbouring properties and to allow non-residential uses such as a café or allied health services within the development.

    Practice Guideline 4 – Communal Recreation Spaces and Shared Facilities has also been adopted. The guideline outlines the features of communal spaces and shared facilities that should be provided to meet the needs of residents in co-living and student accommodation.

    Next steps: Part 2

    The Minister will consult further with relevant councils regarding suitable locations to apply the new Significant Retirement Facility and Supported Accommodation Sites Overlay in:

    • Hills Neighbourhood Zone
    • Established Neighbourhood Zone
    • other relevant neighbourhood-type zones where the Historic Area Overlay or Character Area Overlay applies.

    Part 2 of the Code amendment will apply the new overlay to any suitable locations in these areas and will be finalised following feedback from these councils.

    Key changes to the Code amendment

    A number of changes have been made to the Code amendment in response to feedback which are outlined in the engagement report.

    Key changes regarding apartment design, co-living and student accommodation made in response to feedback include:

    • amending apartment design rules to improve co-living layouts and room dimensions, including minimum secondary bedroom dimensions of 2.5 m x 3.0 m
    • clarifying in the co-living definition that common rooms and/or recreation areas are a required part of co-living, along with shared kitchen and/or shared bathroom facilities when either are not provided in co-living residences
    • increasing the base amount of communal open space for co-living so a total of 25 m2 is required for the first 10 co-living residences (similar to requirements for a single dwelling), with an additional 2.5 m2 for each additional residence thereafter
    • applying co-living as an envisaged use in additional activity centre and main street zones

    Key changes relating to retirement facilities and supported accommodation made in response to feedback include:

    • removing the Significant Retirement Facilities and Supported Accommodation Overlay from areas covered by the Established Neighbourhood Zone, Hills Neighbourhood Zone, Character Area Overlay or Historic Area Overlay
    • amending the building envelope provision to 45 degrees on all boundaries, other than on southern boundaries where a 30 degree envelope provision will apply, and removing the envelope provision where a site boundary is with a state maintained road
    • including an overall limit for shop/office/consulting room of 10% of the total floor area of all buildings on the site
    • clarifying that a facility site must be a single area not separated by a road or the like
    • designating the State Planning Commission as the ‘relevant planning authority’ for all development above 4 storeys/15 m in height for development triggering the overlay
    • requiring notification of adjacent land for development above 4 storeys/15 m in height for development on a significant retirement facility and supported accommodation site
    • amending the Traffic Generating Development Overlay to include a retirement facility and/or supported accommodation with more than 50 residences as a new type of development, requiring referral to the Commissioner for Highways.

    An additional change was also made in finalising the Code amendment so that large retirement villages and supported living developments on sites between 6,500 m2 and 10,000 m2 may be up to 4 storeys high and sites more than 10,000 m2 may be up to 6 storeys high.

    Details of all changes made to the draft Code amendment following consultation are available in the engagement report.


  • Update: draft Accommodation Diversity Code Amendment

    The draft Accommodation Diversity Code Amendment was open for consultation from 5 December 2024 to 27 February 2025.

    More than 420 submissions were received from community, councils, advocacy groups, industry and state government agencies during the consultation.

    Submissions provided a range of feedback and comments on a wide range of topics.

    The main topics of feedback regarding co-living and student accommodation were:

    • concern about shared toilets and bathrooms in co-living accommodation
    • requests for increased on-site car parking for co-living accommodation
    • requests from industry for reduced rates of communal/private open space for student accommodation
    • concern that the Draft Practice Guideline – Communal Recreational Spaces and Shared Facilities is too prescriptive.

    The main topics of feedback regarding retirement facilities and supported accommodation were:

    • concerns from community and a number of councils about 4 to 6 storey building heights, particularly in the Established Neighbourhood Zone
    • concerns about associated commercial floor area allowances and on-site car parking
    • requests from industry to decrease the 1-hectare threshold for 4 to 6 storey building heights, with concerns the policy addressing interfaces with neighbouring residences is too restrictive.

    All feedback and topics raised will be considered in finalising the Accommodation Diversity Code Amendment to be submitted to the Minister for Planning.

    For further details read our 'What we heard' summary.