Development assessment and decision-making in South Australia ? Recent curtailment of the role of local councils

Abstract

Local councils have played an important role in the assessment of applications for development approval in South Australia since the commencement of planning controls in 1967. Recent changes to the Development Act 1993 (SA) have removed the ability of councils to be involved in assessment and decision-making on all development applications. Instead, councils must delegate their function as a decision-making authority under that legislation to either a Council Development Assessment Panel, a Council Officer, or a Regional Development Assessment Panel. The changes remove from the elected members of local councils a role which they have exercised and enjoyed for many years. This article describes the nature and breadth of those changes and makes some observations on the practical implementation of those changes.