FAQs

Situated on the former West End Brewery site, the State Government is investing significantly in the new Southwark Grounds development which aims to set a new standard for inner city living.

This landmark $1billion mixed-use precinct will deliver up to 1,300 new homes, integrated community green space, and retail and employment opportunities.

To capitalise on and maximise the potential of the site, it is considered appropriate to increase maximum building heights and specify minimum heights. The current building heights are considered low and limiting for such a significant master planned development.

Southwark Grounds is ideally positioned to accommodate increased building heights and dwelling numbers as the site is well separated from existing residential areas and only adjoins existing commercial mixed-use areas.

These changes support the objectives of the Greater Adelaide Regional Plan, which identifies Southwark Grounds as a State Significant Infill Area. This means it’s a key location for increasing housing density and delivering more homes for South Australians in a well-connected area serviced by great public transport, employment, education and recreational facilities.

Furthermore, the latest population projections for SA show that the number of people per household will continue to decline, with the demand for single and two-person households projected to increase over the next 30 years. Increasing the maximum building heights and specifying minimum heights in these areas will support the development of smaller, apartment-style housing, and will ensure the potential of the area is maximised for what our growing population needs.

Southwark Grounds is already zoned to allow for high density residential and mixed-use development, which is not proposed to be altered through the Southwark Grounds Code Amendment.

The Planning and Design Code contains a range of provisions to ensure land uses within a mixed-use area are compatible.

There are also detailed site contamination provisions which specify how previous sites of business or industry will need to be tested prior to the construction of residential buildings.

Kent Town, just east of the CBD, is a suburb which demonstrates how inner-city business and residential communities can successfully coexist.

The Southwark Grounds development is being managed by Renewal SA. You can read more about it by visiting the project website: www.southwarkgrounds.com.au

The River Torrens Linear Park Trail is not directly affected by this code amendment which is related to building heights.

However, the Southwark Grounds development will have a positive impact on the Linear Park Trail by improving public access to it from the south and constructing a new shared use path along the river, including a new link under Port Road. These works are part of a broader project to improve public access to the southern side of the Linear Park Trail.

As a result of the development, more people will be able to use, access and appreciate the natural beauty and amenity the Karrawirra Parri/River Torrens Linear Park Trail and the immediately adjacent Adelaide Park Lands.

The Planning and Design Code contains existing policy to protect Adelaide Airport’s operations. Specifically, the Airport Building Heights (Regulated) Overlay requires any development above a prescribed height (which aligns with Adelaide Airport’s Obstacle Limitation Surface or OLS) to be referred to aviation authorities for approval.

Through discussion with Adelaide Airport Limited, it has been established that the current building height triggers for referral are not aligned with the current Adelaide Airport OLS (they are lower) and warrant review. The code amendment proposes to amend the Airport Building Heights (Regulated) Overlay over Southwark Grounds to align with the current Adelaide Airport OLS, supporting the continued safety of aircraft operations.

Renewal SA will be overseeing the preservation of key heritage items. The iconic Walkerville Brew Tower, the foundations of Colonel William Light’s ‘Thebarton Cottage’, and First Nations cultural heritage will be respectfully incorporated into the Southwark Grounds precinct.  

The master plan prepared for Southwark Grounds envisions generous public open spaces throughout the development, integrating the key heritage elements into a network of open space that supports the proposed building heights within this Code Amendment.

Public consultation is open until 11:59pm on Friday February 20, 2026.

You can provide feedback on the code amendment via an online survey on the project’s YourSAy webpage: yoursay.sa.gov.au/southwark-grounds or by emailing: CodeAmendmentCoordination@sa.gov.au

The DHUD project team will collate, consider and report on all feedback received during the engagement including from meetings, emails, written submissions and surveys. An Engagement Report will be prepared after the consultation period and will summarise:

• what engagement activities were undertaken
• the feedback received and the key issues raised  
• DHUD’s responses to the feedback and any changes to the final code amendment as a result.

The engagement report will be submitted to the Minister for Planning, who will decide whether to adopt the amendment (with or without changes) or decline it.

The engagement report will also be published on the project’s YourSAy webpage once ready.

Further information about this code amendment – including a copy of the code amendment document, a fact sheet and map of the proposed maximum and minimum building heights - is available on the YourSAy website which can be accessed via the QR code below or following url: yoursay.sa.gov.au/southwark-grounds