Future Living Code Amendment: new planning rules to create greater housing diversity

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Consultation has concluded

*** UPDATE from the Department for Housing and Urban Development ***

Part 2 of the Future Living Code Amendment has now been adopted by the Minister for Planning.

The Minister divided the code amendment into two parts, adopting Part 1 on 26 April 2025 and Part 2 on 26 August 2025.

  • ·         Part 1 – introduces new policies into the Planning and Design Code (including the new land use definition, new Co-located Housing Overlay, and amendments to the Established Neighbourhood Zone, overlays and general development policies)
  • ·         Part 2 – introduces where the Co-located Housing Overlay will apply to the Established Neighbourhood Zone.

Following the six participating councils’ consideration of the approved policy, the new Co-located Housing Overlay has been applied to the Established Neighbourhood Zone of the following local government areas:

  • City of Unley
  • Town of Walkerville
  • City of Campbelltown
  • Alexandrina Council
  • City of Burnside – only where the Historic Area Overlay also applies in the Established Neighbourhood Zone, as requested by the council.

The overlay has not been applied in the City of Prospect.

Now that Part 2 has been adopted and come into effect, development applications for co-located housing can be lodged and assessed.

Further documents including a how to guide for co-located housing and co-located housing scheme description/by-laws templates are available on the Co-located housing page on the PlanSA website.

For more information visit the PlanSA website.


*** UPDATE from the Department for Housing and Urban Development ***

The final decisions have been made and development applications for co-located housing can now be lodged and assessed. 

The latest information is available on the YourSAy website and Future Living (Part 1) and Future Living (Part 2) Code Amendment pages on PlanSA. 

Further information is also available on the Co-located housing page on the PlanSA website with additional information and resources for co-located housing, including:


*** UPDATE ***

At their meeting on 15 October 2024, the Council resolved:

That Council endorses Attachment 1 to Report No: 2024-621 - Feedback to Engagement on Draft Future Living Code Amendment and authorises the Acting Chief Executive Officer to submit to State Government.

Download the Future Living Code Amendment Submission DRAFT, from the Information and Fact Sheets.

***


Have your say on draft planning rules to enhance housing diversity for South Australians and provide more affordable options for different households, life stages and lifestyle choices.

The State Planning Commission is seeking feedback on draft planning rules to enhance housing diversity for South Australians and provide more affordable options for different household types, life stages and lifestyle choices.

The proposed Future Living Code Amendment seeks to enable new forms of co-located housing development that allows more homes to be built without impacting on the existing character and streetscape of established suburbs. This Code Amendment encourages existing houses to be retained, altered and extended to create co-located housing, rather than demolished and the site subdivided for multiple homes.

The co-located housing model incorporates communal, open gardens and shared facilities, which could include laundries, rubbish bins, carparking or activity rooms, to help build a sense of community.

Co-located housing design - private space and communal gardens.Each home that is part of the co-located housing development could be bought and sold separately, while the shared garden would be managed through community title.

Initially conceived for older people wishing to downsize in their own community, co-located housing is expected to have appeal across a broad range of South Australians looking for affordable housing options.

The Future Living Code Amendment proposes that a new ‘Co-located housing Overlay’ is incorporated into the Planning and Design Code and be applied to established residential areas within six local council areas: Alexandrina Council, the City of Unley, Town of Walkerville, City of Campbelltown, City of Burnside and City of Prospect. Of these councils, five participated in the ‘Cohousing for Ageing Well Project’ from which much of the momentum for this Code Amendment arose.

While the Future Living Code Amendment currently only proposes to apply the new overlay to six council areas, there is potential to apply it to other parts of South Australia in the future, subject to the necessary investigations and engagement.

Have your say

For more information and to share your feedback, visit the YourSAy website at www.yoursay.sa.gov.au/future-living

Have your say by:

  • take the survey
  • share feedback about a specific location using a map tool
  • Email a submission to plansasubmissions@sa.gov.au
    (subject: Submission – Future Living Code Amendment)
  • Post your written submission to:
    Attention: State Planning Commission, GPO Box 1815, Adelaide SA 5001

Background

Momentum for this Code Amendment stems from the:

A key recommendation of the ‘Cohousing for Ageing Well Project' was to amend the planning rules to recognise co- located housing as a distinct type of development.

The draft Future Living Code Amendment would achieve this by introducing into the Planning and Design Code a new:

  • ‘Co-located Housing Overlay’
  • land use definition for 'co-located housing'.

The State Planning Commission has worked in partnership with the University of South Australia, City of Unley, Town of Walkerville, City of Campbelltown, City of Burnside, City of Prospect and Alexandrina Council to develop the draft Code Amendment.

While this new form of housing was conceived for older people wishing to downsize in their own community, co-located housing is expected to appeal to a range of South Australians looking for more diverse, small and affordable housing options.

*** UPDATE from the Department for Housing and Urban Development ***

Part 2 of the Future Living Code Amendment has now been adopted by the Minister for Planning.

The Minister divided the code amendment into two parts, adopting Part 1 on 26 April 2025 and Part 2 on 26 August 2025.

  • ·         Part 1 – introduces new policies into the Planning and Design Code (including the new land use definition, new Co-located Housing Overlay, and amendments to the Established Neighbourhood Zone, overlays and general development policies)
  • ·         Part 2 – introduces where the Co-located Housing Overlay will apply to the Established Neighbourhood Zone.

Following the six participating councils’ consideration of the approved policy, the new Co-located Housing Overlay has been applied to the Established Neighbourhood Zone of the following local government areas:

  • City of Unley
  • Town of Walkerville
  • City of Campbelltown
  • Alexandrina Council
  • City of Burnside – only where the Historic Area Overlay also applies in the Established Neighbourhood Zone, as requested by the council.

The overlay has not been applied in the City of Prospect.

Now that Part 2 has been adopted and come into effect, development applications for co-located housing can be lodged and assessed.

Further documents including a how to guide for co-located housing and co-located housing scheme description/by-laws templates are available on the Co-located housing page on the PlanSA website.

For more information visit the PlanSA website.


*** UPDATE from the Department for Housing and Urban Development ***

The final decisions have been made and development applications for co-located housing can now be lodged and assessed. 

The latest information is available on the YourSAy website and Future Living (Part 1) and Future Living (Part 2) Code Amendment pages on PlanSA. 

Further information is also available on the Co-located housing page on the PlanSA website with additional information and resources for co-located housing, including:


*** UPDATE ***

At their meeting on 15 October 2024, the Council resolved:

That Council endorses Attachment 1 to Report No: 2024-621 - Feedback to Engagement on Draft Future Living Code Amendment and authorises the Acting Chief Executive Officer to submit to State Government.

Download the Future Living Code Amendment Submission DRAFT, from the Information and Fact Sheets.

***


Have your say on draft planning rules to enhance housing diversity for South Australians and provide more affordable options for different households, life stages and lifestyle choices.

The State Planning Commission is seeking feedback on draft planning rules to enhance housing diversity for South Australians and provide more affordable options for different household types, life stages and lifestyle choices.

The proposed Future Living Code Amendment seeks to enable new forms of co-located housing development that allows more homes to be built without impacting on the existing character and streetscape of established suburbs. This Code Amendment encourages existing houses to be retained, altered and extended to create co-located housing, rather than demolished and the site subdivided for multiple homes.

The co-located housing model incorporates communal, open gardens and shared facilities, which could include laundries, rubbish bins, carparking or activity rooms, to help build a sense of community.

Co-located housing design - private space and communal gardens.Each home that is part of the co-located housing development could be bought and sold separately, while the shared garden would be managed through community title.

Initially conceived for older people wishing to downsize in their own community, co-located housing is expected to have appeal across a broad range of South Australians looking for affordable housing options.

The Future Living Code Amendment proposes that a new ‘Co-located housing Overlay’ is incorporated into the Planning and Design Code and be applied to established residential areas within six local council areas: Alexandrina Council, the City of Unley, Town of Walkerville, City of Campbelltown, City of Burnside and City of Prospect. Of these councils, five participated in the ‘Cohousing for Ageing Well Project’ from which much of the momentum for this Code Amendment arose.

While the Future Living Code Amendment currently only proposes to apply the new overlay to six council areas, there is potential to apply it to other parts of South Australia in the future, subject to the necessary investigations and engagement.

Have your say

For more information and to share your feedback, visit the YourSAy website at www.yoursay.sa.gov.au/future-living

Have your say by:

  • take the survey
  • share feedback about a specific location using a map tool
  • Email a submission to plansasubmissions@sa.gov.au
    (subject: Submission – Future Living Code Amendment)
  • Post your written submission to:
    Attention: State Planning Commission, GPO Box 1815, Adelaide SA 5001

Background

Momentum for this Code Amendment stems from the:

A key recommendation of the ‘Cohousing for Ageing Well Project' was to amend the planning rules to recognise co- located housing as a distinct type of development.

The draft Future Living Code Amendment would achieve this by introducing into the Planning and Design Code a new:

  • ‘Co-located Housing Overlay’
  • land use definition for 'co-located housing'.

The State Planning Commission has worked in partnership with the University of South Australia, City of Unley, Town of Walkerville, City of Campbelltown, City of Burnside, City of Prospect and Alexandrina Council to develop the draft Code Amendment.

While this new form of housing was conceived for older people wishing to downsize in their own community, co-located housing is expected to appeal to a range of South Australians looking for more diverse, small and affordable housing options.