Construction starts on Gracewood, 512-home estate in Mallala, north of Adelaide
It will one day be home to 1200 people, and it’s so big it comes with its own water treatment plant. Work has now started on a massive new housing estate.
SA News
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Construction has started on a 500-home estate north of Adelaide that will double the population of the township and boost regional housing in South Australia.
The $100m Gracewood development in Mallala will feature a $1.5m community park with a fenced dog park, half basketball court and a wetland with scenic walking and cycling routes.
Developer Wel. Co will also fund a $2m wastewater treatment plant to service the community because the current system is at capacity.
The company, which will partner with private utility provider Alano Utilities, described the move as a “bold demonstration of private enterprise stepping up to solve critical infrastructure barriers”.
At a sod-turning ceremony on Tuesday, Wel. Co founder and managing director Andrew Welsh said private enterprise had “to be stepping up to the plate where we can and find creative and innovate ways to solve for wastewater”.
“That’s what we’re doing out here to make sure that our residents have wastewater treatment … there ready on day one because the reality is in growth areas it takes a while for that infrastructure to catch up and we think we can play a part in bridging that gap,” he said.
“It was about us bringing our expertise to the table and delivering a new community earlier than what would be planned for.”
Mr Welsh said there was mains water capacity within the current system but as the community grew, capacity would need to be increased “which we’ll work with SA Water on over the coming years”.
The development is expected to significantly grow Mallala, which including nearby rural areas, had a population of 1042 residents in 2021.
When completed, the development is expected to house around 1200 residents across 512 homes.
Housing Minister Nick Champion said Gracewood would help address the housing crisis and contribute to a diverse range of housing opportunities for people.
“Gracewood is an example of a development that brings much needed housing supply to a greenfield development in the Greater Adelaide region while fostering a strong, connected community with supporting amenities and infrastructure,” he said.
He added Mallala was “just so important to our productive capacity as a state”.
Among the first buyers within development are David Aldred, 28, and Jess Alexander, 27.
Ms Alexander said it was an opportunity for the couple to get into the property market.
“Some of the other house pricing in the area is not exactly affordable or achievable so when we came across Gracewood it seemed much more first-homebuyer friendly,” she said.
Mr Aldred said the size of land formed part of the appeal.
“We wanted a big backyard and nice house where our future family and our two dogs can run around,” he said.
Land sizes within the development range from 375 sqm to 3489 sqm, with more than 100 lots already sold.
The development is expected to be completed within five years.
Originally published as Construction starts on Gracewood, 512-home estate in Mallala, north of Adelaide
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