We bring a strong market understanding and appreciation to projects, providing pragmatic commercial advice to our clients.

We utilise the following graphical, analytical and drafting products:

• Autodesk AutoCAD
• Autodesk Revit
• QGIS
• Adobe Photoshop
• Adobe InDesign
• Adobe Illustrator

Our team has extensive experience in leading, or being involved in, various structure/master/concept planning exercises whether they be large landholdings on the urban fringe, infill or redevelopment sites within urban areas, main streets or major institutional sites.

We utilise our strong government relationships to negotiate commercial outcomes for our clients.

Our involvement in these projects has included project leadership and/or management of large teams, critical planning and development inputs to assist with the preparation of an implementable plan, including:

• site analysis investigations;
• infrastructure investigations;
• traffic and transportation analysis;
• retail spending, economic and employment research and modelling;
• community services needs analysis;
• recreation and open space investigations;
• environmental assessments;
• demographic analysis;
• market evaluations and product assessment;
• government and council liason and negotiation;
• stakeholder consultation;
• urban design/master plan charettes;
• governance; and
• prepartion of concepts for key precincts.

Our statutory planning experience includes; providing ‘in-house’ or ‘locum’ planning services for local government, with key staff providing such services to more than 18 Councils over the years. We are presently advising multiple Council’s within the Regional South Australia.

We have significant experience in providing statutory planning services to both the private and public sectors. Our approach to development assessment considers the social, economic, cultural, environmental and political context of each situation.

We are very experienced in the pre-lodgement development assessment and design review processes for large scale city and infill projects and have been responsible for securing a high number of Pre-Lodgement Agreements from the Government Architect particularly for over-height development.

We have been responsible for successfully leading/project managing large teams to identify, negotiate and address issues with all key stakeholders to deliver high quality planning outcomes and approvals that exceed our client’s expectations.

Our statutory planning capability is recognised by our key personnel regularly providing expert witness evidence to the ERD Court.

Our statutory planning experience extends beyond South Australia, with key staff having secured development approvals in several interstate marks, with the Northern Territory serviced since 2008.

Our strategic planning expertise is derived from our wide array of experience across the private and public sectors. We have a strong understanding of political and community influences, commercial realities and the various processes involved to both undertake and influence strategic planning exercises. We strongly believe that any strategic planning exercise or process must be commercial to assist in delivering projects on the ground.

We understand the strategic context, the political complexities, commercial realities, community expectations and the processes involved in undertaking major strategic planning exercises.

We make sure that we are constantly informed of market needs and trends, industry and political developments, and use our expertise, reputation and connections to deliver optimum outcomes.

We regularly lead large multi-disciplinary teams in undertaking a strategic planning process. The majority of key tasks are however undertaken by our own team, with specialist skills and capability in respect to:

• Land capability assessment
• Development concepts and yield analysis
• Housing and population assessment
• Employment land assessment
• Stakeholder engagement
• Strategic context analysis
• Policy planning
• Implementation strategies

Our staff have significant experience providing planning services to regional Councils within South Australia. These services include development assessment or statutory planning, strategic planning, review and/or preparation of Code Amendments and community engagement.

The strategic planning experience of our staff includes the preparation of land use plans and social infrastructure assessments for the Northern Territory Government, and planning reviews/master plans for regional Councils in South Australia, including:

• Victor Harbor
• Alexandrina
• Whyalla
• Port Lincoln
• Murray Bridge
• Lower Eyre
• Port Pirie

Our statutory planning experience includes providing ‘in-house’ or ‘locum’ planning services for local government, with key staff providing such services to more than 18 Councils over the years. Currently we have provided development assessment services to several Council’s, including:

• District Council of Lower Eyre Peninsula
• District Council of Franklin Harbour
• District Council of Streaky Bay
• District Council of Cleve
• District Council of Kimba
• District Council of Elliston
• Mid Murray Council

As a specialist firm providing urban planning and development services, Future Urban is experienced in undertaking community and stakeholder engagement for strategic planning projects. Our staff include have four consultants who have completed the IAP2 Certificate in Engagement and are able to prepare and deliver engagement plans, including stakeholder analysis and communications, with clear reporting on the feedback and recommendations arising from the engagement.

In addition, as the Future Urban team specialise in urban planning and development, all stakeholders will have direct access to experts on the subject matter during engagement activities.

This ensures that all communication during the engagement is concise and accurate by removing the ‘middle-person’ and that the feedback received is analysed efficiently by identifying the matters that are key to the delivery of your project.

Community engagement services we offer include:

• Preparation and/or peer review of engagement plans that comply with the Community Engagement Charter
• Preparation of engagement materials and infographics
• Coordination and facilitation of engagement activities (such as workshops, surveys, focus groups, etc.)
• Analysis of feedback received as part of engagement activities
• Preparation of engagement report, outlining the feedback and recommendations

We have experience in preparing master plan and precinct plans for a range of land use types, including master planned residential, commercial and mixed-use developments.

We review each site based on its unique context, surrounding facilities, amenity, prevailing attributes and constraints to ensure a robust design is created which highlights the best outcomes for the site.

An urban design presentation may include some or all of the following plans and maps:

• Site context including landscape features and contours in 2D and 3D
• Graphic display of the Planning and Design Code policies
• Precinct plans, including surrounding facilities and services
• Cross sections and elevations
• 3D massing and visualisations
• Shadow diagrams and visual impact diagrams
• Master plan concept plans including yield analysis and concept landscape considerations

Urban design services integrate with the following products and outputs:

• Site analysis
• Master planning
• Land division
• Strategic planning
• Demographic analysis
• Encumbrance reviews
• Visual impact assessments
• Design guidelines
• Landscape concept plans
• Change of use applications

We are very experienced in representing interstate and international investors in all planning matters to ensure they fully understand the political, cultural, commercial and procedural differences in the delivery of projects in South Australia.

With a growing portfolio of national and international investor clients, long-standing board representation on key industry and government bodies, we have established and respected relationships with large financial institutions, other like-minded businesses and key government officials to provide a transparent, honest and high-qaulity service to national and international investors.

We have recent experience in initiating what will be the first Precinct Plan in South Australia initiated by the Minister for Planning. Through a process of stakeholder engagement, we have been part of a team that will create a first in the renewal of a concentrated housing trust area. Having been charged with the preparation of a Business Case to support the initiation, the Precinct Plan will establish:

• a partnership between government, council and the proponent to deliver a high-quality significant development across private and pubic land;
• a coordinated approach to planning, design and delivery of infrastructure assets, community facilities and public realm involvements;
• a master plan and implementation through an extensive engagement process;
• a more dynamic policy framework that can be easily changed to respond to market preferences; and
• an efficient assessment process to ensure product can be delivered quickly on the ground.

As part of due diligence, master planning and development application processes, we have advised numerous clients seeking to develop crown land or land within potentially environmentally sensitive locations the legislatiive process which applies and accordingly the approval processes needed to enable the development to proceed. In many instances the advice is reliant on preliminary technical information either through research or supplied by relevant technical consultants (ie. ecologists).

In respect to the EPBC Act, the majority of our project experience has required the self-assessment process to be undertaken without the need for formal application/referral.

We have interface with the Native Vegetation Act on a daily basis, particularly in respect to broadhectare land developments where large tracts of land require analysis and determination of the level of clearance proposed. We regularly advise clients the process, integration with the PDI Act and strategy for application and approval.

Exemplar projects involving our staff include:

• Advice to major telecommunication providers in planning network enhancement (Telstra, Optus, Singtel)
• Advice to ElectraNet in respect to network planning across Greater Adelaide
• Tourism, land division and dwelling application process at Kangaroo Beach, Kangaroo Island (Brown Family)
• District Council of Franklin Harbour Development Plan Amendment (Cowell Foreshore)
• Whyalla Northern Areas Tourism Master Plan (City of Whyalla and RDA)
• Flinders Chase National Park Tourism Development (AWC)
• Due diligence for SA Pathology office redevelopment in City of Adelaide
• Fort Largs development by PEET Limited
• Yorke Peninsula Township Growth Strategy
• Major land divisions at Roseworthy, Mount Barker, Port Noarlunga South

Through our experience, we have the capabilities to understand cities, regions and communities – their role and function, how they compare, and how and why they are changing.

We can examine the dominant and emerging demographic characteristics of a place such as age, disability, disadvantage, education, employment and income.

We align demographic analysis to relevant geographic boundaries that translate into community planning scenarios.

We use location-based demographics to inform planning for socioeconomic or demographically targetable issues, such as ageing and retirement, childcare and education, disability and disadvantaged, and health and well-being.

Our rigorous framework and proven methodology analyses consumption patterns, and models future requirements for housing and employment land.

Key relevant projects undertaken by key staff include:

• Population and housing projections to inform rezoning of major growth areas, including: Playford, Alice Springs, Blakeview, Roseworthy, Two Wells and Mount Barker
• School aged population projections for various independent schools
• Regional land use plans for Alice Springs and Tennant Creek
• Social infrastructure agreements for Alice Springs and Litchfield (NT) and multiple rezoning proposals in SA
• Commercial land assessments for Alice Springs, Victor Harbor on Kidman Park and Greater Edinburgh Parks

Open and recreation spaces are a valuable asset and are essential to creating liveable communities.

Considering the end-user (communities), good planning of open and recreation spaces must consider:

• The “big picture” – it’s not just about what one building needs, but how the building integrates within an open space network
• A regional as well as local approach
• Community needs
• Informal and passive open space
• Active open space and sports
• Place spaces and nature play
• Natural resources and cultural heritage
• Events that have the potential to maximise the use of a space

Our services include:

• Open space strategies for local governments
• Master planning for precincts or larger areas
• Facility planning
• Design guidelines
• Site concepts
• Engagement and placemaking
• Architectural/design briefs
• Cost estimates and feasibility studies
• Implementation and grant funding strategies

The Environment, Resources and Development (ERD) Court is a specialist court dealing with disputes and enforcement of laws, relating to the development and management of land, the natural and built environment and natural resources.

Our team has represented clients in this Court at compulsory conferences seeking to compromise with relevant authorities, or alternatively, as independent expert witnesses to provide evidence when a matter proceeds to a hearing before a Commissioner or Full Bench of the Court.

We have worked closely with clients in assisting with the identification of a need to upgrade existing hard and soft infrastructure arising from an increase in demand from the development of significant infill, regeneration areas and greenfield sites.

Our team has experience in facilitating and advising, on infrastructure provision as it relates to:

• Large land divisions resulting in multiple land parcels and disparate landowners and the apportionment of contributions toward infrastructure
• Large scale development applications, such as major developments
• The resulting facilitation of Land Management and/or Infrastructure Agreements where appropriate

Our experience in this sphere extends to rezoning proposals on behalf of clients through the identification of potential infrastructure requirements and the assembly of specialist resources to document, and make provision for future infrastructure requirements following the rezoning process.

Future Urban is an Adelaide based firm providing specialist urban planning and development services. Our key personnel have extensive strategic planning and development application experience in the Northern Territory. Michael Osborn has managed several planning studies for both the Northern Territory Planning Commission (NTPC) and the Department of Infrastructure Planning and Logistics (DIPL).

Key services include:

• Preparation of strategic land use plans
• Preparation of planning strategies
• Social infrastructure assessments
• Demographic and land supply analysis
• Open space and recreation planning
• Stakeholder engagement
• Development applications
• Highest and best use analysis
• Rezoning

Future Urban is experienced and well-placed to undertake social procurement and engagement tailored to your requirements. We provide social procurement advice across several industries, have extensive expertise in helping organisations with a variety of initiatives and are thought leaders and professional practitioners in this field.

To support our clients across all tiers of government and the private sector, we integrate our consulting and analytics techniques with the expertise of our specialist staff.

We can assist in designing, developing, and implementing successful solutions to have a positive impact through your procurement by providing deep conceptual understanding, real-world expertise, and flexible resources.

Utilising our team’s experience in social procurement frameworks, we provide the tools required to deliver your social procurement requirements through partnerships. We can deliver and support you in your stakeholder engagement to create a social procurement strategy that satisfies organisational needs and provides value to the public.

Social Procurement Services We Offer:

• Social procurement strategy development
• Stakeholder and community engagement planning
• Local supplier, indigenous business and social enterprise identification and engagement
• Fulfilment of social procurement obligations, including analysis, mapping, and reporting
• Delivery of major projects with a focus on maximising local and social impacts
• Social procurement framework design and policy

We work closely with clients in assisting with energy, resources, environmental management and rehabilitation works, which form a significant part of a range of development projects.

Our team has been involved in a wide range of projects which outline our capabilities to energy and resources, including:

• Land capability assessment associated with primary agricultural land across the South East of South Australia
• Environment management associated with a magnetite handling facility proposed by IMX Resources in Port Pirie
• Rehabilitation works (soil and/or native vegetation) associated with haul roads associated with mining operations at Cairn Hill
• Environmental impact assessments of mining operations for projects in South Australia and NSW

Recently, we assisted Beach Energy with Rehabilitation Works and the calculation of an associated bond to address in full, the rehabilitation liability based on works associated with an exploration well in the Otway Basin within Victorian State Waters.

The work involved a range of agronomy, civil, geotechnical, environmental work and analysis which was approved by the Minister for Resources (VIC) pursuant to the provisions of the Petroleum Act 1998.