Work is happening at pace at Prospect Corner a new housing development just seven kilometres from the Adelaide CBD, which is set to become a buzzing, city-fringe community.
Kennett Builders have been engaged as the contractor to deliver 100 affordable rental apartments on the site, at 250B Churchill Road. The overall site will comprise 55 per cent affordable housing.
The delivery of the two apartment buildings was a key government initiative in the June 2024 Housing Roadmap and Renewal SA has significantly expanded the rental options for South Australians, with these 100 apartments representing a 39% increase from the original target of 72 apartments announced in February last year.
At the same time, the construction of the first of 108 townhouses is underway with the pouring of four concrete slabs and a further four to be poured beginning this week at Prospect Corner.
Sustainability and affordability are the focus of these townhouses, with the two and three-bedroom homes all designed to target a 7 Star Nationwide House Energy Rating and support the state government’s goal to be carbon neutral in operation by 2050.
Renewal SA Executive Director Residential Project Delivery and Assets Peter Gatsios said that making homes affordable to a mix of people including first-time buyers could make a huge difference to quality of life.
“Home ownership has long been a major tenet of Australian life and all 16 townhouses sold out within weeks of the stage one and stage two sales releases earlier this year,” he said.
“Most people who have enquired at Prospect are first time buyers and location, transport and strong school zones were some of the key drivers behind them wanting to put down roots in Prospect.”
Architecturally designed by local South Australian award-winning architects Brown Falconer, both apartment buildings will incorporate solar panels and target a 5 Star Green Star rating. In addition, South Australian landscape architecture consultancy, Clover, will lead the integration of the apartment landscaping with the broader Prospect Corner open space design including the latest in water sensitive urban design excellence, tree protection for existing mature trees and incorporation of landscaping to the buildings.
Part of the apartment project will also deliver a Link Reserve fronting building two that provides easy access, via green space activation, to the adjacent Greenway and Islington Railway Station which services the Gawler Line.
Homes in the new apartment buildings are planned to be offered as affordable rentals that will allow tenants to pay rent at under 75% of the market rate. Rents will be set closer to project completion.
Apartment building one fronting Churchill and Payinthi Drive is scheduled to start construction in October 2024. The construction of building two will follow in late 2024 once earthworks and civil construction provides site access. Winslow Constructors are currently on site completing the project civil subdivision works for the homes and apartments.
At seven kilometres from Adelaide’s CBD, Prospect Corner has outstanding public transport links with a short commute to the city by train from Islington Railway Station less than 3 mins walk from Apartment building one adjacent Apartment building 2 and regular, high-frequency public bus routes.
The residential development is also within walking distance to retail and commercial facilities including the Churchill Centre, which has a bulky goods precinct including Bunnings and Savers plus an activity centre with Coles, Aldi, Costco, Kmart and more than 50 specialty stores, fast food outlets and petrol stations.
South Australian owned and operated builder Buildtec is constructing the first 16 townhouses, after which other builders will also be involved. All 16 townhouses released to-date sold out within the first two releases and six were affordable sales. A third sales release will open this month.
Leaping onto the Prospect housing ladder is Adelaide auditor and first-home buyer Yenny Lee who has bought an off-the-plan two-bedroom townhouse.
Lee, 27, is currently living in a shared house in Marden and is keen to move into home ownership.
“I have always wanted to buy a house. I was living in Alice Springs until last year before I came to Adelaide for work,” he said.
Lee spent his school years in Alice Springs before heading to Melbourne for university and then finally to Adelaide where he works for a major consulting and financial service group.
“Location was key for me to buy a home along with the chance to get the train to work in the CBD. It’s only a few stops.
“The budget was primary too and this was in my price range. And it has a garage and a back yard, though I’m not a gardener.”
Lee hopes to be in his new home by the third quarter of 2025.
Twenty-one-year-old Hailee Dyer has been looking for somewhere to buy her first home for the past two years. Prospect Corner was an easy choice, she said.
“What appealed to me the most was the beautiful townhouse layout, easy transport, being close to the shopping centre and not far from the city,” she said. “Being close to the city was extremely important to me as I was raised by my grandparents who live there.”
The path to home ownership was not straightforward and would not have happened without the state government assistance via the HomeStart shared equity finance option, she said.
Buyers meeting various eligibility thresholds such as a lower income can qualify for assistance from the state government and such help was crucial to getting onto the property ladder.