YIMBY report shows Adelaide zoning rules ranked among Australia’s most restrictive

A nationwide YIMBY network has launched a local branch, as the group rolls out data showing Adelaide has the second most restrictive zoning rules of all Australian capital cities.

YIMBY groups (“Yes In My Backyard”) have been set up across the country to counter NIMBYs (“Not In My Backyard”) – residents criticised for opposing development in their own suburbs, to the detriment of housing supply.

Last week, YIMBY Melbourne unveiled a “housing atlas” comparing capital cities, showing Adelaide’s planning rules were the second most restrictive – behind only Hobart – with 92 per cent of residential land within 20km of Adelaide’s CBD labelled “highly restrictive”.

Land the group considered “highly restrictive” was zoned for no more than two storeys, designated low-density only, or covered by a heritage overlay.

The data rollout came after a YIMBY Adelaide branch launched in late May.

“This atlas has arrived at exactly the right time, and it confirms the reason YIMBY Adelaide was established,” a YIMBY Adelaide spokesman said.

The Urban Development Institute of Australia’s SA chief executive Liam Golding said Adelaide having “the most restrictive zoning on the mainland is unsurprising to the development industry”.

“Opportunities for additional housing … are being stymied by overly restrictive zoning,” he said. “We need to see urgent action from government to counter NIMBY zoning controls.”

Property Council SA executive director Bruce Djite said it was “great to see that the YIMBY movement has arrived in Adelaide – and not a moment too soon”.

“In an already sprawled city, we must get more serious about density in metro Adelaide,” he said.

“If we keep planning for growth while resisting the homes needed to accommodate it, we’ll be torn apart by housing scarcity, declining affordability and a city that prices out the next generation.”

However, the data was criticised by Planning Minister Nick Champion, who said it relied on a flawed methodology and “does not present a fair analysis of Adelaide’s urban planning system”.

“The data used lacks nuance and is outdated, missing rezonings at key locations like Glenside, Seaton and Smithfield,” he said.

“Nevertheless, we welcome positive discussions with YIMBY groups around planning rules in South Australia in the spirit of getting more homes built.

“Since coming to government, we have rezoned thousands of hectares of land all across Adelaide for housing.”

Craig Pickering, the president of Community Development Advocacy SA – which was previously criticised for co-ordinating a “NIMBY supergroup” – said the data painted a positive picture.

“The report just points out why Adelaide is in the top 10 most liveable cities. Its character, heritage and leafy suburbs should be celebrated,” he said.

“The fear is that, in the most pro-developer state in the country, if rules are loosened … property developers will pounce and build massive apartment complexes that will destroy what makes Adelaide special.”