FAQs
- state planning policies
- regional plans
- the Planning and Design Code
- design standards
- infrastructure schemes.
- First Nations
- youth
- culturally and linguistically diverse communities
- people living with disability and neurodiverse communities
- businesses, workers and employers.
- that the Community Engagement Charter is now a well-established part of the South Australian planning system
- the mandatory engagement requirements outlined in the Planning, Development and Infrastructure Act 2016.
What is the Community Engagement Charter?
The Community Engagement Charter guides public participation in preparing and amending designated planning policies, strategies and schemes.
It was established in 2018 as part of South Australia’s new planning system to help build community trust and confidence in the planning system by providing an engagement framework that is robust and adaptable.
Councils, state government and others undertaking activities covered by the Charter, must design engagement strategies that meet the Charter’s principles and tailor engagement to the needs of the community and the characteristics of the project.
The Charter makes sure that planners and developers gather input early and more widely from other stakeholders and our communities.
Measuring, reporting and reviewing public engagement performance is also a key Charter requirement.
The Community Engagement Charter was established under the Planning, Development and Infrastructure Act 2016.
Find out more about the Community Engagement Charter on the PlanSA website.
Why is the Community Engagement Charter being updated?
The State Planning Commission must review the Community Engagement Charter every 5 years and carried out its inaugural 5-year review in late 2023.
The State Planning Commission made a total of 13 recommendations for improving the Charter and its supporting documentation. The report outlining their recommendations to improve the Community Engagement Charter has been published on the PlanSA website.
The proposed updates to the Community Engagement Charter have been prepared, reflecting the State Planning Commission’s recommendations.
Find out more about the State Planning Commission’s review of the Charter on the PlanSA website.
What activities are covered by the Community Engagement Charter?
The Community Engagement Charter is used to guide public participation when the following planning policies and strategies are being prepared or amended:
The Community Engagement Charter does not apply to applications for development, such as applications to build a new apartment building, home or shed. The Act outlines specific public notification requirements for development applications.
Updates to the Community Engagement Charter will not change notification requirements for development applications.
How do the proposed changes aim to make the Community Engagement Charter more inclusive and respectful for all South Australians?
The proposed changes aim to ensure engagement on changes to planning policies and strategies is inclusive and respectful for all South Australians by highlighting the need to consider appropriate opportunities for the following communities to influence planning decisions that affect or interest them:
Updates to the Community Engagement Charter will not affect notification requirements for development applications.
What does ‘complying change’ mean?
A ‘complying change’ is a change to the planning rules, such as rezoning land, that aligns with a recommendation in the regional plan for that area.
It is an amendment to the Planning and Design Code that involves changing the boundary of a zone or subzone or the application of an overlay, which shows where specific planning rules apply.
A complying change must be consistent with a recommendation in the regional plan. Information and maps in the regional plan must clearly demonstrate that the change is appropriate.
The Community Engagement Charter guides engagement requirements for all Code Amendments, including complying changes.
Details of how to implement a complying change are included in the revised draft Practice Direction 2 – Preparation and Amendment of Designated Instruments, which has been released alongside the Charter amendment for information.
How do the proposed changes aim to streamline delivering planning policies and strategies published in regional plans?
The proposed changes aim to streamline delivering planning rules, such as rezoning land, by introducing a new engagement process for ‘complying changes’.
These are where the community has had an opportunity to give their views and influence recommendations in a regional plan as part of the regional planning engagement process.
Under the proposed changes to the Charter, a Code Amendment to deliver a complying change would undergo a streamlined consultation process, given the community has already provided input into the decision.
The proposed changes ensure impacted and neighbouring landowners still have an additional opportunity to give feedback before the Code Amendment for a complying change is finalised.
The proposed engagement process for complying changes would be introduced to the Planning and Design Code in accordance with section 75 of the Act.
What other changes are proposed to the Community Engagement Charter?
Other proposed changes to the Community Engagement Charter involve updating wording to better reflect:
How does consultation on the Kangaroo Island Regional Plan link with proposed changes to the Community Engagement Charter?
The Community Engagement Charter guides public participation in preparing and amending key planning policies and strategies, including regional plans.
Public consultation on the draft Kangaroo Island Regional Plan is taking place alongside consultation on the Charter from 14 March to 6 June 2024.
Consultation on the regional plan must align with the current Community Engagement Charter. The proposed changes to the Charter may impact future engagement on delivering planning policies and strategies that are published in the Kangaroo Island Regional Plan.
This is because ‘complying changes’, where the community has had an opportunity to give their views and influence the decision as part of the regional planning process, would undergo limited further engagement when they are set to be delivered.
The Kangaroo Island community is encouraged to take part in the Kangaroo Island Regional Plan consultation to ensure they have their say on future planning policies such as rezoning land for future development.
Visit the YourSAy website for more information.
Are there further details for planners and industry on how these proposed changes would affect the community engagement process?
Practice Direction 2: Preparation and Amendment of Designated Instruments provides further details about consultation requirements to prepare or amend designated instruments.
A marked-up draft of Practice Direction 2 has been prepared to support consultation on the Community Engagement Charter, which includes the proposed minimum consultation requirements and demonstrates the proposed process for a ‘complying change’.
The document aims to help planners and industry visualise the process of a regional plan recommendation then going through the proposed complying change process.
Note that the draft Practice Direction 2 has been released to support understanding of the process and is not the subject of consultation.
View the marked-up Practice Direction 2 on the PlanSA website.
