Work to deliver more than 680 new homes - South Australia's largest social housing regeneration project in decades - has commenced at Oaklands Park under an innovative partnership between the community sector and the State Government.
Led by South Australian developer Housing Renewal Australia Oaklands Park, the Oaklands Park Renewal Project will transform a 16.5-hectare site between Barry Road, Bombay and Doreen Streets adjacent the electrified Seaford train line.
This site was previously home to SA Housing Authority homes built in the 1950s.
To be known as 'Oaklands Green', the new community will include 235 new social housing homes, built for the SA Housing Authority to be managed by community housing provider Junction.
Rivergum Homes has now commenced construction on the first 28 of these one and two-storey dwellings. There are 13 social housing dwellings in these first stages.
An additional 20 public houses funded by HRA OP will be built as part of the partnership arrangements.
In addition, more than 450 market-ready homes will be built on the site, unlocking critical land and housing supply for South Australians. At least 15 per cent of these will be sold through the State Government's HomeSeeker initiative at an affordable housing price point.
The economic return from this market-ready housing will allow for the largest renewal of SA Housing Authority assets at no capital cost to the State Government, creating what is believed to be Australia's first social housing project led by private funds with a not-for-profit partner in Junction.
Oaklands Green will be the largest consolidated housing renewal project since Westwood in the early 2000s and represents an innovative partnership between SAHA, Junction and Housing Renewal Australia (Oaklands Park).
Social housing options will include apartments and detached dwellings, providing choice and better meeting the needs of a range of customers from singles to families.
The project will be staged over eight years, with sales of the first three stages underway.
As put by Nat Cook
Oaklands Park renewal is part of building a strong community while offering choice and diversity in housing. We are modernising affordable and social housing neighbourhoods.
This project has been a long time in the making and much anticipated. To be part of delivering this during a time of housing shortage is both satisfying and rewarding.
As put by Sarah Andrews
Oaklands Green will enable people in the south on low incomes to achieve their dream of owning a home as well as providing affordable rentals.
The project will also boost local employment opportunities and help revitalise a significant part of Oaklands Park.
As put by Louise Miller-Frost
This innovative development in Adelaide's south will provide affordable housing solutions in the area for years to come.
It comes as the Albanese Government is constructing an additional 20,000 social and 20,000 affordable homes nationwide through the Housing Australia Future Fund Facility which has just commenced.
As put by Nick Symons, SA Housing Authority
We are excited to partner with Junction and Housing Renewal Australia in this important project that will deliver much needed housing renewal in the southern suburbs.
We are confident that partnerships such as these can continue to provide social housing, as well as increase the supply of housing to the market, at a time of critical housing shortage.
As put by Trevor Cooke, HRA Chair and Junction Deputy Chair
Oaklands Green sets a new national benchmark for how social housing can be delivered in genuine partnership between governments, for-purpose organisation and socially responsible investors and businesses. We are hopeful that it can be a model for future development of affordable and social housing in South Australia.
For every two residences being built for the open market at Oaklands Green, one will be developed as social housing and provided back to the state under the management of Junction.
The project is guided by who is best placed to deliver the best outcomes for community and social housing tenants and we are enormously grateful also to the City of a Marion as a core project partner.
A great deal of work has led us to today's exciting milestone and we look forward to the project now being in full delivery.
