Dry Creek housing plan expands to 15,000 homes under salt fields rezoning push

Dry Creek’s salt fields will be turned into a master-planned community with a “minimum” of 15,000 homes under a push by the state government.

At least 15,000 homes would be built at Dry Creek under a plan to rezone a huge swarthe of the salt fields for a future master-planned community.

The state government’s previously announced plan for 10,000 homes has increased to a “minimum” of 15,000 dwellings under a proposal the housing minister has admitted will be “no mean feat” and eventually be home to 35,000 people.

The area in red planned for rezoning at Dry Creek for housing.

About 838 hectares of land at the Dry Creek salt fields have been earmarked for housing – the land largely lies between the North-South Motorway and the Salisbury Highway.

Housing Minister Nick Champion said the 15,000 figure was “conservative” but conceded the Dry Creek housing plan was a “very long-term project”.

“Rebirthing a salt field into housing is no mean feat – but we’ve already seen about 100ha filled on the Port Wakefield side of the site, we’ll see a progression retreat of the salt field,” he said.

“Neither urban renewal or greenfield, it really is a special site that only Adelaide has, close to the city, flat land and already taking a substantial amount of fill – and a very real opportunity for the City of Salisbury, the state government and the private property owner to get on and bring a supply to the market.”

The new Dry Creek residential proposal would include a minimum of 15 per cent affordable housing.

Fears the low-lying land could be inundated by tidal storms would be part of the rezoning investigation, Mr Champion said.

“With all the land across the coast, and even pre-existing suburbs, we have to be conscious of floods and storm surges – and building in place the sorts of infrastructure that can withstand that,” he said.

City of Salisbury said the state government’s investigations, including flood modelling and coastal flood risk assessment would address the low-lying nature of the site, stormwater management and the impacts of climate change and sea level rise.

Salt fields at Dry Creek would be turned into even more housing under a rezoning plan.

He said wetlands could be built to take on stormwater surges.

“You can build in mechanisms to deal with stormwater, tidal surges and the like, and that’s what we’ll do here.

“If you do the engineering right at the start, you can normally make sure the stormwater issue is taken into account.”

Salisbury Mayor Gillian Aldridge said the council was “excited” by the plan.

“We’re very proud and excited about what’s happening out here, the announcement is very rewarding, the City of Salisbury is excited to be involved,” she said.

The City of Salisbury said the state government owned most of the land and had confirmed the inclusion of essential civil and social infrastructure.

The Greens welcomed the announcement but said planning was required to avoid another Mount Barker “disaster” and affordable housing should be doubled to 30 per cent.

“The government will need to ensure the development is planned appropriately and serviced by key infrastructure like public transport to prevent a Mount Barker 2.0 scenario.

“Naturally, before any project of this scale gets the green light the community will need to be assured that any development is able to withstand the risk of flood and storm.”

Opposition housing spokeswoman Michelle Lensink said the greenfields site had been announced without checks necessary infrastructure was in place.

“Without clear targets for housing, skilled workers, or materials, and with complex site issues like those at Dry Creek, this seems more like a media strategy than a genuine plan,” she said.

Mr Champion said public consultation on rezoning would start next year and he hoped would conclude by 2027.

Land division at the site would occur from 2027 onwards, with engineering reports, water and wastewater infrastructure agreements to follow.

He said the state government had about 7500 houses at Oakden, Playford Alive and Prospect Corner in the “pipeline”, with about 2500 right now for sale or under construction or contract.