Adelaide's Urban Boundary

The Urban Boundary is a planning device to better manage urban growth around the outer limits of metropolitan Adelaide.

The boundary was first introduced in 2002 with two major objectives:

  • To promote efficiency in urban management with an emphasis on focussing residential development in established and planned suburbs, and in areas where there is already significant investment in infrastructure, and
  • To protect high value agricultural land adjacent to the urban boundary in recognition that this land makes significant contributions to the state’s economy. 

The boundary was most recently updated on 20 December 2007, when a further 2076 hectares of land was formally brought within the boundary (see below for detail on that process). 

The urban boundary is incorporated within the Planning Strategy for South Australia (Metropolitan Adelaide volume, Chapter 2 - see Planning Strategy for Metropolitan Adelaide). The Planning Strategy is a statutory document created under section 22 of the Development Act to provide State Government direction on land use and development.

The boundary is periodically reassessed in the context of housing demand and prevailing economic conditions. By strategically shifting the boundary, further urban growth can be accommodated, but directed to the most desirable areas (in terms of economic efficiency, social benefit, and environmental protection).

To change the urban boundary requires an alteration to the Planning Strategy. When altering the Planning Strategy the Government must issue a draft of proposed changes for public exhibition. 

Changes to the urban boundary - December 2007

On 25 July 2007 the State Government announced a process to realign Adelaide’s urban boundary to include additional land to help meet urban development needs as the city continues to grow over the next 15 to 20 years.

Under that process draft alterations to the Planning Strategy for Metropolitan Adelaide and the Planning Strategy for the Outer Metropolitan Adelaide Region, along with other information materials including detailed mapping, were released for public exhibition and comment was sought.

After considering submissions received the State Government adopted an altered Urban Boundary on 20 December 2007 (see Government Gazette notice for that date). 

The updated boundary was incorporated into the Planning Strategy for Metropolitan Adelaide (December 2007) and the Planning Strategy for the Outer Metropolitan Adelaide Region (December 2007).

Where is the land which has been newly included within the updated boundary?

The majority (65%) of the new land included is in the north of Adelaide, with additional land also included in the south and a small parcel to the east.

All the land being brought within the boundary is adjacent to the existing boundary and well located in terms of augmentation to infrastructure and existing or projected development. It does not include any environmentally sensitive or valuable primary production land, such as the watershed, the Hills Face or the vineyards of the Barossa or Southern Vales. 

The great majority of this new land will not be used for urban development for many years, but its inclusion within the boundary earmarks it for future urban use in the medium-to-longer term.

The Government is committed to detailed structure planning with councils before any of the new land is rezoned for residential use. That will involve further rigorous investigation of each area regarding its exact development.

Through this approach these new suburbs will have a blueprint in place for elements like open space, transport routes, community infrastructure and shops prior to development.

The land is located (all numbers of hectares are approximate):

NORTH

1314 hectares total at:

  • Playford North (173ha)
  • Blakeview (112ha)
  • Penfield (130ha)
  • Gawler East (320ha)
  • Concordia (500ha)
  • Evanston Gardens (79ha)

MAP - Playford North, Blakeview, Penfield [PDF 673579 bytes]
MAP - Gawler East, Concordia, Evanston Gardens [PDF 520679 bytes]

SOUTH

686 hectares total at:

EAST

What happens next?

Stage 1 – Urban Boundary change

The change to the urban boundary has been given effect by amending the Planning Strategy for South Australia.

This process does not change the zoning of the land, but provides the Government imprimatur for possible future rezoning for urban use.

Stage 2 – Rezoning

Changing the zoning of the land is a second, separate process.

Currently this new land has various zoning (e.g. agriculture, rural living) and will need to be rezoned to residential or ‘deferred urban’ (i.e. reserved for future urban use) or other zoning approriate to intended use (more information about the rezoning process, which involves mandatory community consultation, can be found elsewhere on the Planning SA website - see Amending Development Plans).

The Government has indicated there will be a requirement for formal structure plans to be developed, in conjunction with local government, as part of the process to rezone any of this land to residential. That will involve further rigorous investigation of each area regarding its exact development. Through this approach these new suburbs will have a blueprint in place for elements like open space, transport routes, community infrastructure and shops prior to development. 

The only new land brought within the boundary to be considered for immediate rezoning for residential use will be that adjacent to current new developments at Playford North, Blakeview and Penfield. Substantial structure planning for those land parcels has already commenced.

At Highbury, Hackham and Evanston Gardens, the Minister has commenced a process to rezone the land to “deferred urban”. This means a further rezoning will be required, including mandatory public consultation, before any urban development can occur on that land.

Land at Gawler East, Concordia and Bowering Hill won’t be rezoned until formal structure plans are in place. The State Government plans to establish a Strategic Coordination Planning Group to develop structure plans for the Onkaparinga Region, south of the river, and Gawler and surrounding areas.