1. RETAIL IN THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT
PRESENTED BY DARREN STARR
NATIONAL TOWN PLANNING DISCIPLINE LEADER
FYFE

2. TOPICS TO BE COVERED
1. SA PLANNING SYSTEM
2. CENTRE AND RETAIL HIERARCHY
3. RETAIL DEVELOPMENT AND THE DEVELOPMENT ACT
4. PLANING FOR RETAIL
5. TRADING HOURS
6. 30 YEAR PLAN FOR GREATER ADELAIDE

3. INTRODUCTION
Our Urban Environment is shaped by many inputs and demands
including the planning and development system, consumer
demand, employment location, retail spending and disposable
incomes, land costs, transport systems, settlement patterns and
population densities.
All of these factors impact on consumer spending and confidence
and have an impact on the relative success of retail activity in our
urban areas.

4. SA PLANNING AND
DEVELOPMENT SYTEM

5. Strategic Planning – long term plans e.g. 30 Year Plan for Greater Adelaide.
Predominately undertaken by the State Government with local council’s also
expressing aspirations of local communities;
Policy Planning – Criteria that all development will need to address prior to
approval e.g. Local Development Plans & Development Plan Amendments (DPAs).
Development Plan Amendments (DPAs) primarily undertaken by local government
Development Assessment – assessment of development applications and projects
and division of land. Assessment of development applications predominately
undertaken by local government, major retail centres are assessed by the
Development Assessment Commission (DAC).

6. Development (as defined in the Development Act) includes many
activities, however the key activities relating to the location and operation of retail
in our urban environments are:
• Change in the use of land e.g. from office to retail
• Building work (construction, demolition, associated
excavation/fill) e.g. construction or renovation of a shop or
retail activity
Where the two above activities are proposed (or a variation or upgrade) then land
owners must received approval from the relevant authority e.g. local government
for that activity to occur.

7. What does retail mean within the planning system?
shop means—
(a) premises used primarily for the sale by
retail, rental or display of goods, foodstuffs,
merchandise or materials; or
(b) a restaurant; or
(c) a bulky goods outlet or a retail showroom;
or
(d) a personal service establishment;

8. RETAIL HIERARCHY

9. The Centres hierarchy was a well established element of the SA
planning system under the previous Planning Strategy and is still a key
part of many Development Plans: The hierarchy consisted of:
•Adelaide CBD
•Regional Centres e.g. Marion, Noarlunga, Tea Tree Plaza
•District Centres e.g. Arndale & West Lakes
•Neighbourhood Centres; and
•Local Centres

10. Each of these classifications in the retail (centres)
hierarchy outlined the level of services and facilities
that was appropriate. For example major
department stores would only be deemed
appropriate in the CBD or regional centres. While
local centres would accommodate local shopping
facilities e.g. small supermarket and specialty shops.
However the centres hierarchy has been somewhat
superseded by the provisions of the 30 Year Plan for
Greater Adelaide.

11. In addition to the centres hierarchy there are also
many Town Centre Zones (traditionally in rural or
rural fringe areas) that also outline what is
appropriate from a retail and services perspective.
Given these town centre zones often fall well
outside the catchment of other major centres they
can offer a range of services.

12. 30 YEAR PLAN FOR GREATER
ADELAIDE

13. The Plan was prepared by the South Australian Government to set out
a vision for the growth and development of Greater Adelaide over the
next 30 years.
It outlines where people will live, where jobs will be located and
where new transport and infrastructure will be provided.
The Plan prepares for steady population growth of 560,000 people,
the construction of 258,000 more dwellings and the creation of
282,000 jobs, many of which will be in retail.

14. The 30 Year Plan for Greater Adelaide has
a focus on the creation and ongoing
development of activity centres and
transit oriented development rather than
reinforcing the centres hierarchy from the
previous planning strategy. So what do
these new terms mean?

15. Activity Centres are concentrations of business, retail and community
uses. They are predominately the centres that were identified in
previous planning strategies with a greater emphasis on a mixture of
land uses.
The clustering of land uses will be guided by the Activity Centre
strategy outlined in Appendix 3 of the 30 Year Plan for Greater
Adelaide.

16. Transit Corridors will along with activity centres and transit oriented
development will contain the majority of housing and employment growth,
including retail. Transit corridors are based around the fixed line transit
systems like rail, tram and the O-Bahn and also major road corridors.
Maps D3-D5 outline the major transit corridors to be developed over the
next 30 years. Structure Plans will be prepared by the government to guide
growth in these areas and the areas will then be rezoned.

17. Transit Oriented Development (TOD’s) is the development that will
occur within transit corridors and will include high density residential
development, retail and employment to support these new
residential populations.
There are 14 key TOD’s identified in the 30 Year Plan (Map D5) and
they include Noarlunga, Elizabeth, Port Adelaide and Bowden.

18. WHERE TO LOCATED RETAIL
DEVELOPMENT?

19. SO WHERE IS RETAIL DEVELOPMENT APPROPRIATE ?
Each Development Plan contains policies to
promote development in desired locations
and is the basis upon which development
assessment decisions are made.
A zone that promotes the development of
retail or commercial activity will generally be
the best for approval of a retail development.

20. Examples of various zones from current
Development Plans have been provided and we
will review the content of those zones to
determine suitability of various retails uses in
these different zones.
•Small Scale Shopping Centre (e.g. IGA)
•Cheesecake Shop
•Discount Department Store (e.g. Big W)
•Specialty Retail (Dick Smith)

21. ASSESSMENT OF RETAIL
DEVELOPMENT

22. Development Assessment is undertaken
by Local Councils, the Development
Assessment Commission or the
Minister, (predominately) against the
provision of the local Development Plan.
Common issues considered in assessing
projects include:

23. 1. Is the location appropriate (zoning and surrounding
land uses).
2. Overlooking, overshadowing, visual appearance,
car parking, waste disposal, proximity to services
(e.g. public transport, open space and stormwater)
height limits and relationship to surrounding area
(urban design).
3. Mix of land uses (particularly in Adelaide CBD)
including residential and commercial.
4. Community Consultation
5. Retail Analysis

24. TRADING HOURS

25. The Shop Trading Hours Act 1977 regulates the trading hours of retail
shops in South Australian shopping districts. These shopping districts
consist of:
•the Greater Adelaide Shopping District;
•the Glenelg Tourist Precinct and the metropolitan area generally);
•35 proclaimed shopping districts in country areas.

26. •The Act controls public holidays trading and hours of trading.
•Shops outside the Greater Adelaide Shopping District or a
Proclaimed Shopping District are exempt from shop trading legislation
and have no restrictions on their trading hours. Other shops are
exempt from the Act by virtue of the type of goods they sell or
because they are below a certain size.
•Limitations on trading hours are also often included as conditions of
approval on development approvals.

27. FUTURE OF RETAIL IN A
CHANGING URBAN
ENVIRONMENT

28. Factors that will impact on planning for retail:
• Additional 560,000 people in SA by around 2038;
• Disposable income of South Australia residents compared to other
states;
• Online shopping ;
• Destinations centres vs. shopping centres;

29. • Active street frontages in CBD and transit corridors;
• Reuse of heritage buildings in commercial strips;
• Further deregulation of shopping hours and conditions e.g. public
holidays and hours of operation;
• Densities of populations around key areas e.g. CBD and Activity
Centres

30. QUESTIONS ?
darren.starr@fyfe.com.au
(08) 8201 9692