The South Australian Government has announced it will overhaul the state’s planning system in a bid to establish Adelaide as ‘one of the world’s great small cities’.

State Minister for Planning, John Rau, announced an ‘exhaustive and community driven review’ of the State’s planning system under the Planning Improvement Project, and will focus on updating the 20-year old planning legislation to drive the state’s growth.

“Put simply, what we have now requires an update because it focuses the planning system on urban sprawl rather than the urban renewal we know is integral to the future of South Australia,” Mr Rau said.

“Over the next 12 months, the panel will listen to all interested parties, especially the community, and then discuss what a new system can deliver.”

The Planning Improvement Project will be driven by an independent expert panel to be chaired by Brian Hayes and composed of other South Australians with expertise in law, transport, environmental policy and urban design.

Members of the Planning Improvement Panel are:

  • Brian Hayes QC (chair)
  • Stephen Hains
  • Natalya Boujenko
  • Simone Fogarty
  • Theo Maras AM

The expert panel will be required to report to the State Government by December 2014. The panel will also provide early advice on targeted legislative reforms that can be progressed this year.