South Australia’s retirement living and aged care sector is hailing landmark planning reforms as a turning point for investment and housing supply, following a sold-out Retirement Living Council (RLC) forum at Living Choice Flagstaff Hill last month.
The event came just days after the state government recognised aged care facilities and co-located retirement villages as “essential infrastructure” — a national first that creates a fast-tracked approval pathway for projects worth more than $10 million to be assessed directly by the minister for Planning, with advice from the state commission assessment panel.
Industry leaders say the change cuts red tape and provides long-overdue certainty for developers, investors, and providers, Property Council reported.
RLC executive director Daniel Gannon (pictured left) said the reforms represented a significant step forward for South Australia’s housing and care landscape.
“With an ageing population, housing in short supply and care systems under immense strain, retirement living is a critical part of the solution,” he said.
“South Australia has delivered a nation-leading reform in declaring retirement villages co-located with aged care facilities ‘essential infrastructure’.
“Our task now is to take this blueprint to governments across the country to see this ground-breaking change adopted.”
The forum’s supply and planning panel, which featured State Planning Commission chair Craig Holden, Karidis Corporation CEO Peter Karidis, URPS director Marcus Rolfe, and Helping Hand Aged Care board chair Janet Finlay, examined the Housing Diversity Code Amendment now before the planning minister, Nick Champion.
If adopted, the amendment would allow retirement villages on sites over one hectare to reach four storeys, and six storeys on sites over two hectares, as part of a broader effort to boost housing supply near key amenities.
Holden said the changes reflected a measured cultural shift in planning.
“This is all about housing, this is all about opportunity, this is about slowly changing the landscape of Adelaide from quarter-acre blocks for the last 150 years to where people want to live – near amenity, near shops, near schools where they are born and raised,” he said.
“We’re involved in evolution, not revolution, and I think this government is well placed to deliver it.”
Karidis said maintaining strong design standards remained critical as development expanded.
“In terms of the pathways, so I must say that we do tend as an industry, we want the best outcome, we want to design the best developments because if we don’t, we don’t have the residents coming on board,” he said.
“We work closely with the government in terms of these, especially from a design aspect and I’ll actually point (to the) Office of the Government Architect. It’s actually really important that they’re involved in this much more than before.”
Rolfe said flexibility would be key to achieving yield on well-located sites.
“What to me is more interesting is how many independent living units and supported dwellings can we get on that site, and should that be the trigger for when we can access more height… The yield is where it’s interesting to me rather than backing winners just based on a simple metric of you’re either a hectare or you’re not.”
Finlay shared her organisation’s experience with the rejection of a three-storey boutique retirement living project in North Adelaide – despite strong pre-lodgement support from both local and state planning departments.
She said prevailing assumptions about the needs of older South Australians had created unnecessary roadblocks.
“We are planning and aspiring to build for the future and recognise that quality, fit-for-purpose retirement living housing will provide a better ageing experience for older South Australians and keep highly sought-after residential care accommodation for those most in need,” Finlay said.
“This has been a very challenging experience for our organisation, however, this site and the opportunity to create a precinct that provides for continuum of care is too good to let go.”
Finlay said the new essential infrastructure provisions could help remove those barriers.
“It is important to have greater clarity for significant projects. We’re very excited by the new essential infrastructure provisions and feel that these will give a fantastic opportunity for us, and the industry, to work with government on better health and lifestyle outcomes.”
Gannon said the reforms must now be matched by a cultural shift within the planning system.
“There must now be an attitude change in planning that gives developments the green light to go up,” he said.
“Times have changed, land is scarce, and we know older South Australians who retire want to remain in the communities they loved and have lived in for so many years already.”
SA Property Council executive director Bruce Djite (pictured right) said the state government’s decision had elevated aged care and retirement living as “core social and economic priorities.”
“The state government’s decision to classify aged care and co-located retirement living as essential infrastructure is a landmark reform that cements housing and care for older South Australians as core social and economic priorities, not optional extras,” Djite said.
“This change provides the investment certainty the industry needs to deliver quality homes and care options in the communities people love.
Every retirement living project that moves forward frees up an existing home for a young family and helps support an overwhelmed health system. This asset class is an essential part of solving South Australia’s broader housing supply challenge and ensuring that older South Australians can age well, close to family, friends and services.”
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