Adelaide’s outer north and west earmarked for major jobs growth

Two pockets of outer Adelaide have been identified as the city’s next major employment hubs for thousands of new jobs.

Adelaide’s outer north and the Lefevre Peninsula have been identified as the city’s next major employment centres by a new economic report.

New state government modelling reveals 95 per cent, or 1732ha, of land earmarked for future industrial zoning is located in the outer north region, which is expected to account for 22 per cent of new jobs created in industrial areas over the next decade.

Adelaide’s west region, stretching from Adelaide Airport to Outer Harbor, is the only part of the city where more new jobs are expected, boosted by thousands of shipbuilding workers moving to the Osborne Shipyards.

Already supporting 60,000 jobs, or more than 50 per cent of workers in industrial areas, the west is expected to account for 56 per cent of new jobs in the next 10 years.

It comes as land supply forecasts reveal Adelaide may need to find space for more than 60,000 extra homes to cope with predicted population growth.

Oneconstruct directors Dino Gallina and Vince Cosmai at the former Holden site. Picture: Michael Marschall

The employment report says major infrastructure developments will continue to drive employment growth across the city, including in the outer north which extends from Edinburgh Parks to Roseworthy.

“Strong growth is anticipated in the north, particularly in the vicinity of the recently completed Northern Expressway and Northern Connector, which are critical pieces of freight infrastructure,” the report says.

“Elsewhere, land in the vicinity of Edinburgh Parks, Outer Harbor, Adelaide Airport and the South Road corridor will experience increases in employment, highlighting the importance of trade gateways and freight corridors in driving new employment growth.”

Most of the outer north identified as suitable for industrial zoning – known as employment land – lies within the Greater Edinburgh Parks precinct, adjacent to the Edinburgh RAAF base.

The Vicinity Industrial Base in Direk, in Adelaide’s outer north industrial precinct.

Meanwhile the west currently offers 797ha, or more than 40 per cent, of the city’s vacant employment land, including 232ha on the Lefevre Peninsula, where businesses aligned with the shipbuilding and defence projects at Osborne are expected to converge.

Using the former Holden site as an example, the report underlines the shift from the “blue collar” jobs traditionally associated with industrial precincts, towards a more diverse range of work including advanced manufacturing, construction and hi-tech industries.

Dino Gallina, who runs modular construction business Oneconstruct, relocated his business from Gepps Cross to the former Holden site – now known as Lionsgate – last month, joining other hi-tech businesses including Sonnen, Genis Steel and Levett Engineering.

He said the site offered the opportunity to grow his business.

“The access in and out of the site is easy, you have access to Port Wakefield Rd and the Northern Connector,” he said.

“We’ve increased our output over the last two years and it’s a really positive vibe moving here – it gives us the freedom to expand the company even further.”

Aerial view over the Osborne shipyard precinct.

CBRE director David Reid, an industrial property specialist who’s marketing Lionsgate to prospective business tenants, said the outer north offered businesses several advantages.

“The affordable land, a lack of supply in through the traditional northwestern precinct and the new road network is creating massive demand,” he said.

“You’ve got the Penfield intermodal hub and the Northern Connector which has significantly reduced freight times, providing good connectivity to Port Adelaide and the greater metropolitan area.

“Manufacturing is still very much a strong growth sector in our market and I think you will see a large part of the employment generation through that manufacturing base.”

Property Council SA executive director Daniel Gannon said Adelaide’s industrial precincts would continue to support the “rapid transition from South Australia’s proud and traditional manufacturing economy to the new economy”.

“Given South Australia’s strategic investment in the defence, space and cyber industries – along with new roads infrastructure – places like Osborne and the outer north have become important job creation hubs.”