Measures to fix SA’s housing crisis being undermined by ‘circus-like’ tree regulations, property industry figures say

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South Australia’s tree regulations are having a “significant impact” on housing affordability, property industry leaders have told parliament.

Measures to fix the state’s housing crisis are being undermined by “circus-like” tree regulations, senior property industry figures say. Giving evidence before a parliamentary committee, Property Council SA executive director Bruce Djite said tree regulations have had a “significant impact on affordability”.

Mr Djite said there was no clear strategy linking tree regulation and the planning system. Changes that took effect earlier this year reduced the trunk size for “regulated trees” from two metres to one metre, and “significant trees” have gone from three metres to two. Any activity that damages a regulated or significant tree – including tree removal or limb lopping – requires development approval.

Chris Vounasis, managing director of the planning and development firm Future Urban, said the regulations went too far.

“It is circus-like, to be brutally frank, (to) have multi-stem fruit trees – plum trees, for example – which are twig-like trees which resemble something more like a scarecrow in a cornfield but which are stopping reasonable development outcomes,” he said.

Read the full article here.

Chris Vounasis

Director

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