Cars being parked on residential streets where substantial infill development is occurring has become a contentious issue in recent years, with residents and councils calling out for a solution.
To address the growing problem, the State Government is proposing changes to planning legislation to establish updated minimum off-street carparking requirements for new residential developments in Greater Adelaide.
Under the draft bill, a Vehicle Parking Scheme would be established which would specify the minimum number of carparks that must be provided for new dwellings, based on the number of bedrooms.
It proposes that one-bedroom homes must have one vehicle park and dwellings with two or more bedrooms must have at least two parks.
Minimum dimensions for off-street parking areas would also be increased so that the largest passenger and utility vehicles sold in Australia could be parked with sufficient room for the driver and passenger doors to be opened without hitting garage walls.
These dimensions would be 3.5m wide and 6m long for a single vehicle park with the minimum garage door size increased to 3m. This is up from the current dimensions of 3m by 5.4m, with a 2.4m garage door.
Under the proposed changes, the parking areas do not necessarily need to be covered garages or carports, but at least one must be capable of being covered in the future.
The scheme will apply to all residential developments within Greater Adelaide, with the potential for areas or classes of development to be excluded by ministerial notice, such as developments in the CBD and North Adelaide or strategic infill developments on public transport routes with mobility hubs.
Only in limited and exceptional circumstances where the new minimum car park requirements are not met, it’s proposed that offset fees would be paid by developers into a new Vehicle Parking Fund.
The draft fee structure proposes the following rates to be made by the developer before development approval is issued:
- Within the CBD - $45,000
- Metropolitan Adelaide - $35,000
- Greater Adelaide - $25,000
The Vehicle Parking Fund could then be used to develop new public parking in areas where insufficient vehicle parking exists, maintain existing public carparks or improve bicycle parking facilities to encourage active transport.
These changes to planning legislation bill have been proposed following an extensive review by an expert panel into the state’s planning system.
South Australian councils voted in favour of increasing garage sizes in new homes, at the Local Government Association’s Annual General Meeting last year.
The State Government will undertake targeted consultation with the building and construction industry as well as local government.
