South Australia has an ageing population and single parent families are projected to grow rapidly, so the Malinauskas Labor Government is investigating changes to allow greater choice and flexibility in residential building design.
Consultation is now open for the Accommodation Diversity Code Amendment, which proposes improvements to the planning rules to enable a wider variety of housing and more flexibility for building apartment-style homes and retirement living across the state.
Australian Bureau of Statistics' (ABS) data estimates single parent families – or constellation families – to grow by 21 per cent, up to 36 per cent by the year 2046.
Male single parent families are projected to be the fastest growing type of family and are forecast to increase between 22 per cent and 56 per cent by 2046.
Female single parent families - the most common single parent family type - currently make up around 80 per cent of all single parent families and are projected to grow between 21 per cent and 31 per cent.
In South Australian Housing Trust properties, the proportion of single parent households has increased since June 2015, from 10.6 per cent to 11.1 per cent.
Last year, the Greater Adelaide Regional Plan Discussion Paper reported that the number of single-person households in Greater Adelaide had increased 78 per cent over the last 30 years.
Despite this increase in smaller households, currently 77 per cent of homes in South Australia are detached dwellings.
The aim of the Accommodation Diversity Code Amendment is to increase the number of well-designed, diverse, and affordable housing supply options across the entire state, to respond to these population projections and growth in single person households.
The Accommodation Diversity Code Amendment is an initiative from the Housing Roadmap and changes include:
- Introducing a new form of 'co-living' accommodation for residences that rely on shared facilities, such as common kitchens or bathrooms.
- Allowing increased building height up to 4-6 storeys for large retirement villages and supported living developments to provide more accommodation for our ageing population to continue living in their own communities
- More flexibility in apartment design, by focussing on rules that contribute to a comfortable home, such as minimum bedroom and living area dimensions, rather than minimum total floor area.
- More guidance on how shared rooms and open spaces are designed, including being conveniently located near residences and having good access to sunlight, appropriate seating, lighting and other features.
- Providing better guidance on the provision of communal recreation spaces and shared facilities for student accommodation.
With the Adelaide University merger, the city is expected to see an increase in the number of international students calling Adelaide home and with elderly living independently for longer a greater range of housing options will be needed.
This proposed code amendment proposes policy adjustments to support the development of self-contained student accommodation which meets future contemporary needs and provides functional communal areas.
Given the increasing demand for retirement facilities and supported accommodation, policy is proposed to ensure the sector can provide a range of housing choices for an ageing population.
This code amendment follows recent changes to encourage more housing diversity:
- The Ancillary Accommodation and Student Accommodation Definitions Review Code Amendment which allows for granny flats and student accommodation to be self-contained.
- The Future Living Code Amendment to introduce a new form of 'co-located' housing to allow more homes to be built in established residential suburbs, without impacting the existing character, heritage and streetscape.
Consultation on the Accommodation Diversity Code Amendment is open now until 27 February 2025.
As put by Nick Champion
We've seen the decline of nuclear families and the rise of constellation families, with divorce and family separation having a far greater impact on the housing supply crisis than migration.
The size and make-up of families is changing, and the homes we're building need to adjust to meet those changing needs.
A growth in single parent families and single person households will increase our housing needs beyond the predicted population growth.
This code amendment seeks to provide greater flexibility in apartment design, including opportunities for more communal living and for smaller housing options.
South Australia is changing so we want there to be more choice for different household types, life stages and lifestyle choices.
Governments, councils and industry need to work together to ensure that we are planning and constructing homes that are suitable for all South Australians.
