Renewal SA Seeks Visionary Developers for Prime $1 Billion Site to Generate up to 1,300 New Homes | JLL

Adelaide’s next great neighbourhood: rare opportunity to bring a key urban renewal project to life

Renewal SA is seeking development partners to deliver the $1 billion ‘Southwark Grounds’ precinct, creating up to 1,300 new homes on Adelaide’s former West End Brewery site.

Positioned on the city’s fringe, some 2 kilometres from the CBD, the fast-tracked 8.4ha site offers a two-stream mix of boutique development parcels alongside a major master-planned precinct, with opportunities for both smaller developers and a larger-scale partner.

JLL’s Ben Parkinson and Jack O’Leary have been appointed to manage the sales process by way of Request for Proposal (RFP) which will include both stream one and stream two running concurrently with different submission and evaluation criteria.

“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for developers and partners, who have the vision needed to bring an important urban renewal project of this scale to life,” Mr Parkinson said.

“The two-streamed model is great as it allows smaller boutique developers to get involved on the individual sites, which includes five parcels of land that will facilitate construction by the end of the year, while the rest of the infrastructure is being finalised.

“The second stream offers a very rare opportunity for a developer to partner and collaborate with Renewal SA on delivering about 1,000 new homes as part of the master-planned precinct, covering two thirds of Southwark Grounds,” he said.

“Of these homes, 20 per cent will meet the affordable homes criteria and be listed through HomeSeeker SA.

“They will be a mix of townhouses and apartments with all buildings bordered by connected open space, retail and vibrant social landscapes and unobstructed views of the Adelaide Park Lands.”

The resilience of the Adelaide residential sector continues to attract national attention, with South Australia recording a 66.8% increase in building approvals over the past 12 months—well above the national growth rate of 21.7% — including a notable 86% rise in approvals for higher-density housing, demonstrating the Adelaide apartment market is well and truly maturing.

Data released by the state government also showed that, for the December quarter last year, there was a record $1.4 billion in residential building work done, which reflects a growth of 13.2 per cent through the year in real terms.

Reinforcing this momentum, the latest CommSec State of the States report (April 2025) ranked South Australia second nationally for both economic growth and dwelling starts, highlighting the state’s strong foundations and consistent development pipeline.

The Southwark Grounds redevelopment project is a key urban renewal project that will continue the gentrification of the inner western precinct providing mixed use housing outcomes that utilise existing infrastructure.

It boasts numerous public transport connections with free city trams, trains, bike paths and pedestrian links.

The master-planned project, which was prepared after consultation with a national reference group, has been strategically designed for social connection, sustainability, active mobility and innovative housing.

“This is a rare, developer-ready opportunity in a precinct that boasts layers of heritage plus transport connections and close proximity to the nearby CBD,” Mr O’Leary said.

“It also sits alongside Karrawirra Parri / River Torrens and the Adelaide Park Lands and is earmarked to be a significant residential neighbourhood for this thriving north-western corridor.”

In 2025, the name Southwark will be reinstated for a portion of the suburb currently known as Thebarton to reflect and honour its heritage as the residential community is revitalised. The Department of Housing and Urban Development is proposing that Southwark also be reinstated as the wider suburb name through community consultation.

“The Southwark Grounds renewal project is a unique and compelling investment opportunity for developers to contribute to the region’s growth and prosperity not only through the creation of up to 1,300 homes but through building vibrant, immersive and sustainable communities for generations to come,” Mr O’Leary said.

Southwark Grounds redevelopment site is offered for sale via a Request for Proposal (RFP) process closing at 4:00 pm Australian Central Standard Time (ACST) on Thursday 26 June 2025.