Login
iscover
Rezonings in Adelaide’s north, south and west are expected to facilitate the construction of at least 1,000 new homes.
The state government approved code amendments for developments at West Lakes, Hillier Park and O’Sullivan Beach, in order to bring more buildable land to the market.
The changes will unlock 489 allotments at West Lakes, 400 at Hillier Park and 114 at O’Sullivan Beach. Some of these are expected to host medium-density building, meaning that even more dwellings could result from this adjustment.
In announcing the rezonings, the government promised that all levels of the market would be set to benefit, from affordable housing to high-end, with options for everyone from first home buyers to retirees.
The West Lakes rezoning in particular will pave the way for a significant infill site in the western suburbs, on land that has been unused since the SA Water Wastewater Treatment Plant was decommissioned in 2004. The development will provide close to 500 medium-density houses, with buildings capped at a maximum height of four storeys. It’s expected to be a popular site for buyers with proximity to the lake and nearby transit options.
The Hillier Park rezoning will sit adjacent to the Hillier Residential Park, an over-50s residential living community that is almost at capacity and has recently received a surge of interest. New homes in this area are expected to provide affordable options that are needed on the edge of Gawler township.
And the O’Sullivan Beach rezoning, albeit the smallest of the three, is slated to bring some much-needed supply to Adelaide’s southern suburbs. The code amendment will enable vacant land here to be developed into low- to medium-density housing, and also provides for a noise barrier to reduce the impact to the area from nearby industry.
Civil works on all three sites are expected to commence this year.
SA Premier Peter Malinauskas commented that the rezonings showed how seriously his government was taking the need for housing, with this latest announcement contributing to South Australia’s Better Housing Future and its commitment to deliver the largest land release in the state’s history.
“We’ve made it clear that investing in health and housing are priorities for this government,” Mr Malinauskas said.
Nick Champion, South Australia’s Minister for Housing and Urban Development and Minister for Planning, said the rezonings were an example of the government “pulling every lever at its disposal to tackle the housing crisis head on”, and added that it had worked in consultation with the surrounding communities to tailor each plan.
“When assessing the code amendments, we have listened to the feedback from the community and believe the new zoning will strike a balance between the public’s expectations and the need for development,” Mr Champion said.
Moreover, Richard Dwyer, vice president of the Urban Institute of Australia’s SA branch, commented that the rezoning had rightly targeted the need to bring a broad array of options to home buyers in the state.
“This announcement provides a range of opportunities in terms of both location and the type of development and this provides all important choice to home buyers.
“Whether it is medium-density infill, affordable housing for seniors or lower density development, we know there is tremendous demand in Greater Adelaide and we need all of it,” Mr Dwyer said.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Juliet Helmke
Based in Sydney, Juliet Helmke has a broad range of reporting and editorial experience across the areas of business, technology, entertainment and the arts. She was formerly Senior Editor at The New York Observer.
Newsletter
