July 2024 Update Council has finalised the Engagement Summary Report in response to the Direction endorsed by Council at its May 2024 meeting. The Engagement Summary Report documents the consultation undertaken, the feedback themes received, and the resultant responses and changes to the policy as a result. The Engagement Summary Report seeks the following changes as a result of the community feedback:
The Code Amendment is now being considered by the Minister for Planning for final approval. Timeframes for this are not known as they fall outside of the control of Council. Council will provide additional updates as information is obtained from the Minister’s office. |
March 2024 Update
Council staff considered and prepared responses to the key themes arising from the feedback provided. This included the development of a number of alternative policy responses that sought different minimum site area and frontage widths for the northern areas covered by the Code Amendment.
At its 26 March meeting, council resolved to retain the existing minimum site areas and frontage widths for all areas covered by the Code Amendment. Therefore, the Code Amendment will only be limited to rezoning those parts of the affected area covered by the Suburban Neighbourhood Zone to the Hills Neighbourhood Zone. You can find more information about why this is still being undertaken and the area this applies to within this information sheet. If you want more detail about the differences between the two zones, a policy comparison has been prepared for your to download.
Final documentation is in the process of being prepared for the Code amendment. This includes:
- an Engagement Summary Report which documents the engagement undertaken against the performance outcomes of the Engagement Charter;
- revised instructions for the Amendment of the Code based on Council's resolution
This package will be considered by the Minister for Planning, potentially with the advice of the State Planning Commission, before the Minister makes a final decision on the Amendment.
What is the Southern Suburbs Residential Policy Code Amendment?
The Southern Suburbs Residential Policy Code Amendment is a proposal by Council to change the zoning policy guiding new housing in the suburbs of Darlington, Seacombe Heights, Seaview Downs, Seacliff Park, Marino, Hallett Cove, Sheidow Park, Trott Park and O'Halloran Hill within the City of Marion.
The purpose of this Code Amendment is to provide an appropriate set of site area and frontage criteria for new dwellings across the southern residential areas of council to:
- provide opportunities for appropriate infill development to occur where appropriate
- adjust development opportunities for locations based on slope so that they correlate to the challenges imposed by steeply sloping land
Why are these changes proposed?
The policies across the southern suburbs have different site frontage and minimum site area requirements for different types of dwellings despite having similar land characteristics. The policy also unnecessarily limits further infill development in situations where slopes are gentle and can accommodate different housing types. Parts of Sheidow Park and Seacliff Park also do not have any policy that reflects the sloping setting of these locations and new policies are needed to provide better guidance and get better design outcomes for new development.
Survey
Engagement Evaluation Survey
The following short survey has been developed for those who made a submission and/or provided feedback on the draft Code Amendment and is about the engagement process undertaken and not the policy proposal or council decision.
The purpose of this survey is to understand whether the engagement process addressed the principles of the Engagement Charter. The Charter was established under the Planning, Development and Infrastructure Act 2016, to strengthen engagement up front in the development of planning policies, strategies and schemes.
Results from this survey will improve our understanding on what was done well, what needs to be reviewed, and how we can improve engagement next time.
The engagement process included:
- Social media posts
- Direct mail
- Drop-in sessions (x4)
- Advertising materials and hard copy documentation at key CoM locations
- Street signage throughout areas affected by the proposal
A summary of the results from this survey will be included in the engagement summary report that council will be submitting to the Minister for Planning for a final decision.
The survey is only 5 easy questions (with options for additional details if desired), so shouldn't take more than one minute to complete.
