State and Local Heritage Places are still individually identified as was the case with the previous Development Act 1993 and respective Council Development Plans. The main difference with the new Planning and Design Code is the creation of Historic Area Overlays. No longer are individual Contributory and/or Non-Contributory items identified within the Historic Area Overlays.  There is now only reference to Representative Buildings that display attributes of a Historic Area as listed in the respective Historic Area Statement. This includes reference to matters such as architectural style, detailing, built form features, and building height. The respective Historic Area Statement nor Heritage Area Overlay makes specific mention of representative buildings nor buildings that contribute or detract (non-contributory) to the area streetscape mislead, there are general statements as follows: Buildings and structures,…

The COVID virus has had a huge impact on the world and will no doubt have very far ranging and long lasting impacts on the world economy, society and the environment. One apparent impact has been greater isolation and a big increase in people working from home and staying at home for longer periods of time. Mostly this has been done on an informal basis but equally it can be formalised. The Development Regulations 2008 have restated that home activity requirements means use of a site by a person resident on the site:- Assistance by more than 1 person who is not resident in the dwelling Use (whether temporarily or permanently) of a floor area exceeding 30 square metres The imposition of the services provided by the public utility organisation…

When there is a change of land use or a new development there are requirements set out in the Council Development Plans for the provision of off street on the respective sites. The exception to this might be where a site is located within the centre of a city, and like the very centre of Adelaide CBD, on site car parking is actually prohibited. With reference to the Australian & New Zealand Standards 2890.1:2004 – Parking Facilities Off-street car parking the uniform standards that apply to the size, angle, aisle width etc. are very clear. Yet the number of car parking spaces that apply to certain land uses can vary greatly between various Councils. As an example recently I was involved a change of land use from office to consulting…

As Director of Advantage Planning Services, I often get involved in obtaining planning approvals for Gymnasiums. Or are they Gyms? Gymnasiums are by definition a building equipped with facilities for gymnastics and sport. Such places are often associated with schools or sports clubs but a lot are smaller scale, private facilities focused on offering a more exclusive training experience or even ‘one-on-one’ training sessions. I consider a fitness centre to be where restricted membership, rather than hundreds of members or belonging to a club or school, creates a more exclusive experience. These fitness centres are generally more intense offering a more specific work out experience in smaller groups and are known to enhance their member's fitness goals quicker. Because the classes are small and the duration generally intense and limited…

Each parcel of land in South Australia is issued with a certificate of title of which there are three main types. Torrens Title this is the most common type of title by far and gives the owner the greatest ownership rights. The owner can demolish, extend, repaint and improve the property as they wish within the planning and building controls that apply across the State expressed in the respective Council’s Development Plan and the state wide Building Code. The owner is fully responsible for the allotment area the buildings on the lot and associated driveways, paths and services such a water and sewerage. The exception is boundary fences which are shared with neighbours and different controls apply to these covered by the Fences Act. Strata Titles were used in situations…