Historic partnership to unlock Adelaide’s skyline

The South Australian Government has partnered with the Adelaide Airport to deliver a transformative policy that will change Adelaide’s skyline forever, sending building heights soaring.

This will give developers the confidence that their projects will proceed and will allow the building of more apartments for South Australians.

The proposed changes will allow for pre-approval of increased heights of 10-15 floors across many areas of the CBD.

For example – a development within the proposed area on West Terrace that is currently requiring approval at 3 storeys would now be pre-approved at 20 storeys.

The City Building Heights Code Amendment has been initiated, which starts a formal process into removing outdated height restrictions to unlock the full potential of the city’s skyline.

Through this working agreement, the government and the Adelaide Airport will collaborate with the Australian Government to investigate defined development zones in the CBD that will allow developers to build in those zones up to a specified height through a streamlined approval process.

Buildings can still exceed the new height limits by following an approval process which the South Australian Government will work with the Airport to streamline, reducing costs and wait times for developers.

Crucially, the investigations would ensure that the changes are done without compromising the safe operation of Adelaide Airport and would be done subject to approval by the Australian Government.

Enabling taller buildings would accelerate residential and commercial development in the CBD and continue Adelaide’s evolution as a vibrant, high-density urban centre where more South Australians can live, work and invest.

The Department for Housing and Urban Development will undertake a comprehensive investigation, including community and stakeholder engagement, to further inform the Code Amendment.

The proposed changes would mean that almost all the CBD, from Angas Street to North Terrace and from West Terrace to Hutt Street, would be open for growth.

The south-west and south-east corners of the city, which are mostly established city-living neighbourhoods, would be the only parts of the CBD to remain unaffected by the proposed changes.