Change of Land Use – South Australia

A change of land use application can bring with it a host of challenges and isn’t necessarily as simple as it seems. Even changing to a similar type of land use can be tricky to manage and may require specialist professionals to demonstrate your proposal meets the planning rules and regulations. We delve into what you may need to provide as part of your change of use application and how CPD can facilitate these applications to get you moving towards your development approval.

Site Contamination

Depending on what you are proposing you may need to produce a preliminary site investigation report and signed declaration by a suitably qualified consultant. This is required when you are moving to a more sensitive land use. When people think of contamination they generally think industrial land uses, however the South Australian EPA have mandated these tests for uses most would think are relatively benign.

Some common change of use applications we deal with that may need a report include the following:

• Tourist accomodation on agricultural land.
• Church conversions into residential dwellings or tourist accomodation.
• Some commercial change of uses applications.

Traffic and Parking

Most commercial or industrial change of land use applications require an assessment of the proposed parking layout for both cars and any heavy vehicle movements that may be required to service the development such as rubbish trucks and delivery vehicles. Normally, one use is not sufficient in providing the parking needs for another except for when the uses are very similar. Unless space is abundant this usually results in the need for a traffic and parking review by a suitably qualified traffic engineer. Street parking can sometime ease the pressures of parking on the development, but this will depend on the unique situation within the locality.

Acoustic Testing and Reports

Sound emission is an issue on the forefront of any planning assessment for a change of use application. Depending on the location and proposal, an acoustic engineer may be required to provide a supporting report which demonstrates noise emissions are consistent with South Australian EPA guidelines. As a general rule, the more residential development around you the more likely you will require a report, particularly if you are proposing a use which has a high capability of generating high levels of noise.

Some common change of use applications we deal with that may need a report include the following:

Building Classification

A change of use application can bring with it issues beyond the planning approval. Change of use applications can result in the need for complex building rules assessments and potentially building alterations due to a change in the buildings classification. This is quite common when a residential dwelling is converted into a commercial use or even for something seemingly simple like a conversion of an existing backyard shed into a granny flat.

Common building alterations required when converting a dwelling into an alternate commercial use may include the following:

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