Help protect the Barossa’s character — have your say by Friday 27 November

Barossa Council is seeking feedback on a new report describing what makes the Barossa special and how future development can respect and protect it. The report will help shape new planning rules for the region, due to be drafted in early 2027.

This is an important opportunity to speak up for our landscapes, agricultural land, heritage and distinct townships — while supporting thoughtful development in the right places.

The report is a long read, so we’ve included suggested answers to the six survey questions below, based on those kindly shared by the Barossa Region Residents’ Association and used with permission. Please use or adapt them to reflect your own views and add any local concerns or examples that matter to you.

Read the full report and project background here

Complete the survey by Friday 27 November here:

You can also email feedback to yoursay@barossa.sa.gov.au.

Let’s help shape the Barossa’s future while protecting what makes it special.

Survey Question #1  After reading the Strategic Character Preservation Area Design Standards and Guidance report what aspects do you think need to be strengthened, added and/or changed. And why is this important to you?*
It is clear that the current planning policy within the Barossa needs to be strengthened, in order to align with the Character Preservation (Barossa Valley) Act, and preserve the Barossa’s special character.
The Strategic Character Preservation Area Design Standards and Guidance report provides a strong foundation for defining the Barossa’s Character and has captured the essence of what makes the Barossa special.
Section 8. Design Principles and Testing Framework of the report provides an excellent framework to assist with drafting a state planning Barossa Code Amendment in 2027, to strengthen the planning policy within the Barossa.
I strongly support using the report as a testing framework for the development of new Barossa planning policy.
 
Survey Question #2 Tell us how the report reflects, or doesn’t reflect, the way you think about the Barossa’s character.*
I appreciate the report’s description (page 14) of the Barossa as a living landscape, where heritage is expressed through generations of stories, knowledge and experience.
I support the idea that character is reflected not only in buildings and places, but in identity, values, traditions and cultural narratives.
I value the concept of preservation that is achieved not by resisting change, but by guiding change with clarity, purpose and integrity.
 
Survey Question #3 Reading the character statement for your area (pages 94-106) what does it capture well about your part of the Barossa, and what do you think is missing?*
The report captures the importance of ‘Distinct Townships and Settlement Patterns’, recognising that the Barossa is not a continuous urban area, but a network of individual settlements with their own history, scale and character.
I appreciate that the report identifies the importance of Community Stewardship and Generational Connection, and recognises that the Barossa is sustained through the enduring relationships between landscape, productive land, settlement, heritage and community, and is strengthened by generations of stewardship and shared responsibility.
(NOTE: if you want to add a specific comment about your township, you can start reading at page 100.)
 
Survey Question #4 The report suggests character should guide development rather than restrict it. How would you like to see growth and change managed in the Barossa?*
I would like to see future growth and change in the Barossa managed in a way that is aligns with the principles of the Character Preservation (Barossa Valley) Act 2012.
The current state planning policy does not reflect the intention of the Character Preservation Act and has not been strong enough to protect the Barossa’s special character. 
It is essential that a Code Amendment for the Barossa area is drafted, to ensure growth, investment and change can contribute to the long-term enrichment of the Barossa, rather than its erosion.
Barossa Code Amendment should also remove the option for Impact-Assessed developments, and retain decision making at a local level, with Barossa-specific planning policy.

SBWTAP’s use of the impact-assessed pathway highlights the need for stronger safeguards. This pathway must not become a loophole for development incompatible with the Barossa’s character. Close any such loophole and enforce character protections regardless of assessment pathway.

(NOTE:  if you would like to mention a particular development approval that has concerned you in the past 5 years, this is the place to include it.  BRRA will be including a list of developments that have been of concern in our response.)
 
Survey Question #5 What resonates with you from the Literature Review (pages 22-29) and what’s missing?*
I appreciate the Literature Review’s finding on page 23 that the challenge is not understanding what makes the Barossa distinctive, but translating those shared values into practical planning outcomes, development assessment and long-term decisions.

The review highlights tensions between:

preservation and adaptation
flexibility and protection
economic growth and landscape impact
local identity and external development pressure
strategic intent and implementation.
Importantly, it is not anti-development. It supports value-adding industries, tourism investment, agricultural diversification, adaptive reuse and economic resilience.

The central question is not whether development should occur, but how growth and change can strengthen the Barossa’s identity, productivity and sense of place. I would like to see these well-established values translated into clear, enforceable planning protections.

 
Survey Question #6 The report identifies landscape, regional identity, living heritage and community stewardship as priorities for the future. Share with us what you think the right priorities should be for the Barossa’s future.*
I support the priorities identified in the report - landscape, regional identity, living heritage and community stewardship.
I support the Next Steps as outlined in pages 142 – 149.  I endorse Professor Laura Lee’s recommendations on actions required to carry the work of Character Preservation forward, including the suggestion of creating a Barossa Stewardship Network, to ensure ongoing continuity.

 
What happens next?  When the Barossa Code Amendment has been drafted in early 2027, the state government will ask for community feedback.  BRRA will gather our members in a community meeting to work through the draft code in detail, so that we can all provide feedback to the State Planning Commission.