Four former defence sites across metropolitan Adelaide could soon play a role in easing housing pressure and reshaping established suburbs, as the South Australian Government begins investigations into their possible acquisition and redevelopment.
The move follows a broader national defence reform agenda under the Albanese Labor Government, which has committed to divesting 64 underutilised defence properties across the country. The aim is to modernise Australia’s defence estate while reducing the long term cost of maintaining sites that are no longer operationally required.
In South Australia, the focus has turned to four strategically located sites that have been declared surplus by the Commonwealth.
The sites under investigation
The sites span both inner metropolitan and outer suburban locations, each offering different opportunities for infill development, employment land, and community infrastructure:
- Woodside Barracks
A 145 hectare site on Nairne Road, Woodside, approximately 36 kilometres east of the Adelaide CBD. - Warradale Barracks
A 23 hectare site at the intersection of Oaklands and Morphett Roads, around 11 kilometres south of the CBD. - Hampstead Barracks
A 7 hectare site on Muller Road in Greenacres, roughly 9 kilometres north east of the city. - Edinburgh Parks
A 7 hectare site on West Avenue, Edinburgh, located 32 kilometres north of Adelaide.
Any remaining defence personnel currently operating from these locations would be relocated to the Edinburgh Defence Precinct, consolidating defence operations while freeing up land for alternative use.
Aligning with Adelaide’s infill strategy
The investigations align closely with the South Australian Government’s existing approach to urban growth, which prioritises infill development at well located sites rather than continued urban sprawl.
Under the Malinauskas Labor Government, this strategy has already been applied to several major redevelopment projects, including the former West End Brewery site, now known as Southwark Grounds, along with Prospect Corner, Magill and Noarlunga.
These projects have demonstrated how large scale redevelopment can deliver housing, open space, employment opportunities and community facilities within existing suburbs, while improving infrastructure planning and delivery timelines.
According to the Government, this model allows entire communities to be designed and delivered in a more coordinated way, rather than piecemeal development occurring over decades.
Renewal SA to assess redevelopment potential
State government agency Renewal SA will now begin feasibility investigations into the four defence sites. These studies will assess whether acquisition, master planning and redevelopment are viable, and how each site could best contribute to housing supply and broader community outcomes.
If progressed, the sites would be added to Renewal SA’s growing portfolio of urban renewal projects on former defence land.
Early stage investigations are also expected to begin in coming years into the redevelopment potential of Keswick Barracks, following the transfer of the site to state ownership in 2023. That transfer formed part of a land swap with the Commonwealth, linked to defence infrastructure requirements associated with the AUKUS program at Osborne.
Housing supply and long term planning
Housing availability remains a critical challenge across South Australia, with governments under pressure to increase supply while ensuring new development is supported by appropriate infrastructure and community services.
State Housing and Planning Minister Nick Champion said the former defence sites present a rare opportunity to plan large scale redevelopment in locations that are already connected to transport, services and employment.
He pointed to Southwark Grounds as an example of how former industrial land can be transformed into a mixed use precinct, with homes already under construction and public spaces taking shape.
The next phase of work will focus on determining whether similar outcomes can be achieved at the four defence sites now under review.
For the construction industry, planners and developers, the investigations signal a potential pipeline of major infill projects that could shape Adelaide’s growth over the coming decades.
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