About land use planning

What is land use development planning?

Land use planning is about combining urban and regional planning to improve sustainable and integrated management of the state’s landscapes and protect the state’s natural resources. According to the Landscape South Australia Act 2019, in particular Section 25, regional landscape boards are required to respond to matters related to land use planning under the Development Act.

Why is land use planning important to the Murraylands and Riverland region?

A regional landscape board’s comment and advice about development planning ensures that natural resources are considered in the preliminary works stage of development.

This early involvement in the land use development planning process can ensure that best practice landscape management and sustainable design are included in the development assessment process, rather than create a need to employ retrospective measures to fix negative impacts or create more ecologically sustainable development.

The key tools used for achieving sustainable development within the region are:

• State Planning Policies
• strategic plans for the Murraylands and Riverland region
  • 30 Year Plan for Greater Adelaide
  • Murray and Mallee Region Plan
• South Australian Planning Policy Library
• Strategic Plan and Regional Action Plan
• Landscape South Australia Act 2019
• Planning and Design Code under the Development Act, soon to be replaced by the Planning, Development and Infrastructure Act 2016

The referral process for land use development applications

All plans referred to the board for comment and advice should be emailed to mr.landscapeboardreferrals@sa.gov.au . Dependent upon the complexity of the proposal, matters referred to this address are usually responded to within six weeks or fewer.

Development Plan or Planning and Design code amendments, local government strategic plans, stormwater management plans and others are referred to this email address also. Comments made in a response to these referrals address the sustainable development objectives set under the Landscape SA Act 2019, and will include best practice landscape management.

Strategic regional focus

The Murraylands and Riverland Landscape Board has a strategic focus to provide knowledge and expertise on existing and emerging landscape management issues within its region. This includes biodiversity, sustainable agriculture, water planning and management, water-sensitive urban design, climate change, dryland salinity, and the cumulative impacts of development on the environment.