As harvest gets underway for what is predicted to be a bumper crop for South Australia’s farmers, the state government has introduced some critical changes to planning and development laws.
With the Department of Primary Industries and Regions predicting a harvest of more than 11 million tonnes of grain, grain operators were predicted to struggle with the logistics of storing such a large crop.
The regulations under the Planning, Development and Infrastructure Act 2016 have therefore been amended to exempt grain storage facilities and surrounding infrastructure (e.g. office buildings and weighbridges) from the usual planning approvals.
The changes will allow grain operators to get more storage space up and running in time for harvest, helping avoid likely grain spoilage.
The changes are, however, only temporary. Infrastructure built under the changes can only stand for a maximum of 12 months before the typical development approvals are needed.
If these changes may affect your farming or grain storage operations and you need advice on planning requirements or development approvals, contact Mellor Olsson Lawyers.