In late June, the state government unveiled its Housing Roadmap, aiming to bolster its A Better Housing Future Plan to deliver more homes faster, meeting the rising demand for new supply and affordable living. The Housing Roadmap includes a series of measures, including the largest-ever land release, the abolition of stamp duty on new homes, expanded workforce training, faster home construction and a significant infrastructure investment.

Renewal SA, along with our critical partners, is at the forefront of this delivery program, implementing key initiatives to drive the housing agenda. Accelerating project delivery is a key focus for us and partnerships with industry, investors and all levels of government will be crucial to our success.

We will soon be releasing our investment forward plan outlining the upcoming opportunities for industry to partner with us to deliver on our significant pipeline of projects. South Australia continues to lead economic performance thanks to a solid market and construction activity, now is the time to invest in our growing state.

To help us to deliver on our ambitious goals we have recently made some key appointments to our leadership team and to our Board.

Shane Wingard has been appointed as the Executive Director of Property and Major Projects, while Peter Gatsios will step into the role of Executive Director of Residential Project Delivery and Assets. Both have extensive experience in the property sector and at Renewal SA and they understand our organisation and projects enabling us to maintain our strong momentum in delivery.

We have also welcomed Tricia Blight to the Urban Renewal Authority Board of Management. Tricia is the Chief Operating Officer of the new Department for Housing and Urban Development (DHUD) and has extensive experience in government financial management, administration and public policy. Tricia will provide a critical link to other agencies within DHUD to streamline government’s efforts across housing.

While housing remains a key priority, other asset classes are also forging ahead to deliver.

This week, we reached an important milestone with construction starting on site at Penfield on the development of Australia’s first Deeper Maintenance and Modification Facility (DMMF) for Boeing 737-variant military aircraft.

BESIX Watpac has now officially taken charge of the site where the new 2.1-hectare purpose-built facility will be built. It is one of the largest construction projects ever undertaken by Renewal SA.

This is the largest project Renewal SA has been involved with and the influx of more skilled workers from outside South Australia that the completed construction will bring, is an additional and welcome benefit.

We are looking to the future and through delivery of significant projects such as the Housing Roadmap or DMMF, so too does our capacity to be a partner of choice for industry, to act as a catalyst for change and to have real impact on South Australia’s social and economic growth.

Works have begun on the building of a giant four bay hangar in northern Adelaide to facilitate the specialist maintenance of Australia’s Boeing 737 variant military aircraft. Following an agreement with the Commonwealth Department of Defence, the Government of South Australia, through Renewal SA, will oversee the construction of the $200 million Deep Maintenance and Modification Facility (DMMF) adjacent the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Edinburgh base in northern Adelaide. Construction officially started on Thursday 5 September with a sod turning event attended by the Federal Minister for Defence Industry and Capability Delivery Pat Conroy MP and South Australian Treasurer Stephen Mullighan. The DMMF project will accommodate the long-term deep maintenance and modification of the Defence Force’s fleet of RAAF P-8A Poseidon maritime surveillance aircraft and RAAF e-7A Wedgetail airborne early warning and control aircraft, enhancing the Australia’s sovereign capabilities and enabling work to be carried out in Australia, rather than sending the planes offshore. The state government is committed to delivering a first-class venue and providing a workforce for the building of the infrastructure necessary for the ongoing servicing of the Boeing variant aircraft. It firmly reinforces South Australia as the country’s defence state.

HIP V. HYPE has been chosen to lead the strategy for a socially conscious, environmentally-focused outcome for the former Adelaide Bus Station site on Franklin Street, Tapangka, which will be home to more than 1,000 residents and hotel guests by its 2029 completion. Architecture design studio, Woods Bagot, which has already worked as a master plan consultant on the project, has also been engaged to refine work completed during the bid process. Community engagement is now open for public to provide their input on the transformation of the site. Feedback in relation to the precinct’s public accessible spaces and connectivity, sustainability objectives and uses that could activate the precinct and encourage people to visit are of focus.

Our Engagement team has been kept busy, with community engagement focussing on the billion-dollar redevelopment at Thebarton now underway.

The Thebarton project will create a world-class, vibrant, climate-resilient, mixed-use community on 8.4 hectares of land bound by Port Road to the east, the Karrawirra Parri (River Torrens) to the north and Holland Street to the west. The project is targeting 1,000 homes and 20 per cent affordable housing.

The project, on the site of the former West End Brewery, will celebrate the site’s extraordinary heritage and riverbank location, while driving both the ongoing transformation of the suburb and investment in the area. It is expected to attract about $1 billion in construction and development value.

The draft master plan proposes an innovative Mobility Hub, which will provide for locals who use their own car while also offering services such as share cars, scooters and e-bike charging.

Following this round of consultation, work will begin on finalising the master plan, which is expected to be released later this year. Construction is expected to start in mid-2025, with the first residents anticipated to move in in 2027.

Oxigen, a leading South Australian integrated design firm, has been chosen to create a sustainable, landscape-led vision for the future development of the UniSA site at Magill.

Working with Renewal SA, Oxigen will lead the master plan preparation, engaging the community in developing a high-quality residential area with diverse housing types and community facilities.

Preserving Murray House and incorporating it into future plans will be a priority, while the protection of Third Creek and the extensive tree canopy will be key in shaping the site's future.

Guided by high-level development principles, the planning process for the 14.62-hectare parcel on St Bernards Road will focus on sustainability, innovation, growth, and housing supply, including enhanced recreation spaces, increased housing linked to public transport, diverse housing options, sustainable design, and cultural preservation.

Oxigen, known for projects like Lot Fourteen and Tonsley Innovation District, will lead a multi-disciplinary team to address landscape design, traffic, community, and environmental needs.

Looking further south, agreement has been reached with Villawood Properties to develop 800 new homes on a key parcel of land in Aldinga. The project will feature diverse housing options with at least 25 per cent affordable housing, including a mix of architect-designed townhouses, detached and semi-detached homes, and mandated sustainable building materials sympathetic to the area. The Aldinga project will also host a residents’ club including a pool, gym and café, while extensive open space, parks, reserves and chain-of-ponds corridors will be complemented by extensive green canopy and offsite biodiversity offsets that will see more than 40 hectares of land donated for conservation. A key feature of the community will be an over-55s Lifestyle Village on the site's western parcel, which will consist of one, two and three-bedroom homes, surrounded by world-class recreational and wellbeing amenities including a clubhouse with a pool, spa, sauna, gymnasium, cinema, co-working space and bar. The 45-hectare site is bordered by Quinliven Road to the north, Main South Road to the east, Aldinga Beach Road to the south and How Road to the west. It is adjacent the new birth to year 12 Aldinga Payinthi College. The state government has preserved a corridor of land through Aldinga for a future extension of the Seaford rail line to Aldinga and Renewal SA has secured a commitment from Villawood to deliver a north-south shared use path along the eastern edge of the rail corridor. The corridor will be landscaped and made available to the community as additional open space until the time comes to extend the rail line. Aldinga is the second partnership between Renewal SA and Villawood alongside its Oakden Rise development which is creating 1,500 homes north-east of Adelaide.

Work is progressing rapidly at Prospect Corner, where Kennett Builders are delivering 100 affordable rental apartments, significantly expanding South Australia's rental options.

Construction is also underway for 108 townhouses, marking a major milestone in the Housing Roadmap.

This development, with 55 per cent of the site dedicated to affordable housing, underscores the government's commitment to providing more accessible housing solutions for South Australians.

High-quality affordable housing will soon be delivered to market more quickly across metropolitan Adelaide thanks to an initiative to simplify the construction tendering process for government led residential projects.

At least 10 construction companies will join a pre-approved list of builders to work on government developments.

The new Builders Panel ensures Renewal SA can select the right builder for the right job without the need for a protracted tender and will reduce the time of getting a house to market by several months.

The revised procurement model has been set up following a recent statewide tender and applies to both affordable and social housing delivered on government sites.

The defence industry ecosystem at Technology Park north of Adelaide is now home to another of the nation’s leading contractors following the official opening of the new Australian manufacturing headquarters of Kongsberg Defence Australia. The $25 million facility was officially opened on Thursday 5 September at an event attended by the Federal Minister for Defence Industry and Capability Delivery Pat Conroy MP, President of parent company Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace Eirik Lie, Norway’s Minister of Defence Bjørn Arild Gram and South Australian Minister for Trade and Investment Joe Szakacs MP. Renewal SA was instrumental in helping identify, package and sell the 6,000m2 site to Kongsberg Defence Australia, which will support multiple defence programs from its 2,500m2 manufacturing and office facility. These include the Naval Strike Missile capability for Anzac Class Frigates and Hobart Class Destroyers, the CORTEX capability for Protected Mobile Fires and the sustainment of NASAMS Ground Based Air Defence systems and Protector Remote Weapon Systems.