The Malinauskas Labor Government will introduce new statewide engineering and design standards to help build new communities faster.
The creation of the consistent engineering standards will cover all civil infrastructure for residential developments such as roads, kerbs, footpaths and stormwater drains.
The state-first initiative is expected to reduce costs and shave months off new housing development timeframes while maintaining high-quality, consistent infrastructure standards.
A tender is now open to develop the new, consistent engineering standards. If approved, the new standards will be utilised in greenfield land divisions in growth areas across South Australia.
Currently, standards for community infrastructure such as local roads, stormwater management and drainage, street lighting, gutters and footpaths vary across each metropolitan council.
By complying with statewide standards, housing projects that use the new engineering standards will benefit from faster development assessments and greater certainty when estimating infrastructure costs.
The new engineering standards will also support climate-resilient infrastructure and water sensitive urban design measures to ensure that we are designing healthy communities of the future.
The creation of a single set of engineering standards for greenfield residential developments is a commitment of the Malinauskas Labor Government's Housing Roadmap.
The government has already introduced a series of initiatives from the Roadmap to improve the supply of new homes:
- Introduced a Builders Panel for Renewal SA projects to streamline new builds
- Created a new Housing Affordability role within the Department of Housing and Urban Development to promote policy that encourages the viability of affordable housing projects.
- Committed to maintaining new NCC construction standards for 10 years
- Opened consultation on the Future Living Code Amendment to increase diversity of housing options
The tender is now available on the Tenders SA website and submissions are open until 9 September 2024. Once drafted, the new engineering standards will be released for public and industry consultation.
As put by Nick Champion
Establishing one set of engineering standards will enable faster delivery of more affordable neighbourhoods.
Removing unnecessary red tape by simplifying community infrastructure standards is just one way we're helping address the national housing crisis and get more houses built, sooner.
Creating clear and consistent design standards is an important initiative from the Housing Roadmap.
As put by Bruce Djite, SA Executive Director, Property Council of Australia
We welcome the government's standardising of standards. Increasing speed and certainty will reduce cost and therefore help deliver better affordability in housing.
As put by Stephen Knight, Executive Director, Housing Industry Association Ltd
Consistent engineering standards across all metropolitan councils for what are common infrastructure requirements such as roads, lighting and footpaths makes good sense.
As put by Will Frogley, CEO Master Builders SA
We must pull every lever we have to get shovels in the ground quicker to build houses and support infrastructure. Well done to Minister Champion on this initiative to shave months on development times without compromising quality.
As put by Liam Golding, Chief Executive UDIA SA
Standards that change due to arbitrary lines on a map make no sense and are an unnecessary burden on the efficient delivery of new housing. To counter the housing crisis, we need the speed and certainty that will come with fit for purpose standards that will help drive improvements in housing affordability.
