Land release opens the doors to home ownership
South Australia’s massive construction boom is delivering large infrastructure projects – and providing a host of benefits to the the broader community in the process.
SA News
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The first sales have begun at a Noarlunga development which will deliver more than 626 new homes over the next few years.
Prospective buyers have lodged their intention-to-purchase for the first 22 lots, with the first forms signed on June 21.
Half of the first lots released by Renewal SA are home-and-land packages, and half are land-only, with a steady stream of upcoming releases to keep up with demand.
“We are now assessing those forms, giving priority to owner-occupiers ahead of investors,” Renewal SA executive director Skye Bayne says. “We will then bring on the next stages as quickly as possible.”
The land is in two sections, straddling the railway line and immediately south and southwest of the Noarlunga Centre which houses Colonnades and other shops, the South Adelaide Football Club, Cardijn College and the Noarlunga Hospital, TAFE and railway station.
It is only 2km from the beach, 1km from the Onkaparinga River, 15km from McLaren Vale and just 30km from Victoria Square.
More than 1800 people have registered interest.
“Of course, that includes neighbours and local community members,” Bayne says. “But land in the south is highly sought after. Developable land is much more constrained than in the north.
“It’s a beautiful area and it’s not often you get to create a master planned community in amongst such good existing amenity. This was intended to roll out over the next seven years but in the current market it could be a lot sooner.”
A $35 million contract for civil works is in progress.
All standard utility services will be installed but reticulated gas is excluded for increased sustainability.
At least 15 per cent of dwellings will be affordable housing, with 80 social housing homes, led by the SA Housing Trust.
HomeSeeker SA markets affordable homes and has a maximum price point now at $232,650 for land only, $594,550 for a home-and-land package, and $675,000 for a package purchased with the shared equity scheme.
Income limits apply, currently $115,000 for singles and $150,000 for couples. Conditions include a limit on assets and a minimum occupancy.
HomeStart offers shared equity loans. The site previously had no public infrastructure and was little used by the community. At least 12.5 per cent of the area will be public open space and a 5-star Greenstar Community rating is targeted.
“There will now be curated open space for kids to play,” Bayne says. “We’re working with a landscape architect and there will be extensive planting of native vegetation.”
Renewal SA is sensitive to Aboriginal heritage and has engaged with First Nations community in relation to cultural heritage and more broadly on the project.
Most of the site is in the suburb of Port Noarlunga. A formal process will bring a segment that is in Noarlunga Downs into Port Noarlunga.
The master plan allows for detached housing, townhouses and apartments of up to four storeys.
There will be flexibility during the roll-out as Renewal SA responds to the market and consults Onkaparinga Council, SA Housing Trust and the community.
Renewal SA has a panel of builders for home-and-land packages, while buyers of land-only can choose their builder and home design, in line with the Urban Design Guidelines.
The project is among a raft of Renewal SA projects. To find out more visit livenoarlunga.com.au and register your interest.
In a separate project, privately owned company MAB will develop the nearby former Port Stanvac refinery site.
Better balance a big schools boost
Schools across South Australia must share the love when it comes to spending on infrastructure, the State Government has decided.
To support the policy of “Every School a Great School”, funding will be directed toward creating a better balance across the entire school system.
“There will be significant changes from how we have made funding decisions in the past,” Department for Education deputy chief executive Ben Temperly says.
“There has been a history of investing in the most popular schools, which adds to the enrolment demand on those schools. Under the new plan we want to improve the quality of the learning environment across the system.
“So, we will minimise investing in new enrolment places where we have spare places at other schools nearby.
“We want to increase the attractiveness of schools that have spare capacity, so parents, students and the community see them as a good option.”
Under the 20-year Infrastructure Plan for SA Public Education and Care strategy published late last year, schools are being assessed individually to raise the bar.
That may be buildings and amenity, but extends to curriculum support, use of digital technology, or whatever is needed.
SA’s student numbers are increasing at more than 2 per cent a year, outpacing the overall population increase of just over 1 per cent.
This reflects SA’s strong economic growth encouraging more young families to stay or move here.
Population growth is fastest in outer suburbs and is a key driver of infrastructure spending. That is why in the north a new $155 million secondary school will be open in 2028 in the suburb of Eyre, and a $70 million new primary and preschool will be built in the northern suburbs.
Mt Barker will see a new $61 million primary and preschool in the south-east of the Hills town, while Mt Barker High School is receiving a $9 million upgrade.
In a strategic investment exemplifying the change, a $15.9 million upgrade at Oakbank Area School includes facilities to teach cyber security. This will assist existing students and also attract new students, easing pressure on Mt Barker.
Some schools need urgent attention to ageing assets.
This financial year’s budget provided $7.6 million to Bellevue Heights Primary and $16.5 million to Surrey Downs Primary.
As part of the 2025-26 State Budget, $10 million each was allocated to Fairview Park and Fraser Park Primary to replace run-down buildings.
Local communities are excited about the five new technical colleges – Findon, Tonsley, The Heights, Limestone Coast and Port Augusta – which will all be open by Term 1, 2026.
Lifting standards across the board will deliver multiple benefits.
“When you visit different schools now, you see quite a contrast in the age and condition of the buildings,” Temperly says.
“Our investment decisions will make it a more level playing field.”
Schools investment a class act
The old is making way for the new at Bellevue Heights Primary School in a welcome redevelopment thanks to a $7.6 million investment by the South Australian Government.
The community nestled around the school’s 180 students is looking forward to bright, open spaces in new buildings.
“We’ve been in old, closed spaces for so long,” principal Margot Bradley says. “The staff are looking forward to the openness and togetherness of the new spaces. They love the connectedness of the design enabling classes to work together.”
After 50 or more years, the old building bears the weathering of generations and will be demolished.
In its place, the new buildings will have integrated, flexible spaces and a melding of the outdoors and indoors.
Bellevue Heights Primary already has highly regarded strengths in teaching, from award-winning courses in robotics and STEM through to a flourishing environmental awareness program.
The school has its own garden with vegetables and chickens.
Due to open in 2027, the new building will include a community and cultural centre which will be available for parents to use.
Firms share in public spend
The purchasing power of the South Australian Government is behind the successful growth of many local small and medium businesses.
Government investments in infrastructure and services give businesses the opportunity to compete for work.
On major projects, work packages are often split into smaller sub-contracts so local companies can have a fair go.
One such winner is full-service cyber consultancy Hannan & Partners, which has leapt in three years from director Mat Hannan flying solo to an outfit of 25 people and revenue of up to $5 million a year.
The company has assisted more than 25 SA government agencies with cyber security, ICT strategy, procurement and risk management.
Government contracts, which account for more than half of the company’s order book, underpinned the business being able to invest in recruiting and training its own staff because the work was consistent and reliable, Hannan says.
It also helped the consultancy demonstrate its credibility, allowing the business to grow its private sector work.
“Our involvement in high-profile projects like the Covid response and deploying a world-class platform called Splunk in SA Health has contributed to our strong trajectory in both public and private sectors,” Hannan says.
Splunk is a platform which analyses and monitors the vitality of the entire SA Health Digital Network to help keep it available and secure.
The SA Health deployment won international awards for innovation. In the private sector, the company has many clients in defence, transport and education and it has won work in Tasmania, NSW, California and Ireland.
Hannan is extremely positive about the future.
“South Australia is a place of connections. It is through our networks and willingness to ‘get stuck in’ that small businesses are able to provide world-class services to government and industry alike,” he says.
“Small and medium businesses will likely not find a more accessible state government to work with than what we have here in SA.”
The cyber and ICT sector is one of the areas where South Australia’s share of the national industry far exceeds the population share.
There are more than 50 cyber security companies, a 40 per cent increase since the early 2020s.
Originally published as Land release opens the doors to home ownership
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