Playford’s alive and kicking for first homebuyers
First homebuyers have secured dozens of affordable housing allotments in Playford Alive’s newest precinct and construction of a much-anticipated road extension is underway.
A total of 282 land allotments are being created in the Newton Boulevard estate at Munno Para with 175 allotments priced at or below the affordable price point for land, which is currently $222,750.
Since launching in April, 190 allotments have been released to market of which approximately 178 have been sold – including 121 affordable allotments.
A further 45 allotments have gone on sale this month, with prices starting from $209,000. Block sizes will range from 269m2 up to a generous 520m2.
Completion of earthworks on the estate have paved the way for the commencement of the crucial extension of Newton Boulevard linking with Stebonheath Road to the west of the estate.
Initial works on the road project have begun and the road is scheduled to open to traffic in the first half of 2025, providing better connections to Mark Oliphant College and assisting in alleviating traffic congestion on Curtis Road.
This will allow the construction of the first houses to begin soon after and residents to move into their new homes in early to mid-2026.
Housing in the Newton Boulevard estate will benefit from Renewal SA’s newly implemented sustainability guidelines that aim to promote eco-conscious living through environmental principles such as all electric homes and mandated lighter-coloured roofs, which combat the urban heat island effect and enhance energy efficiency.
Purchasers will be able to consider a wide range of housing designs from builders including Distinctive Homes, Rivergum Homes, Weeks Homes, Sterling Homes, Hickinbotham, Stateman Homes and SA Housing Centre.
“The rapid sale of blocks for affordable homes in the Newton Boulevard estate shows, in the midst of a housing crisis, just how high the demand is for people to be able to own their own homes,” said Peter Gatsios, Renewal SA’s Executive Director of Residential Project Delivery and Assets.
“We take a great deal of pride in being able to offer these opportunities for South Australians, who will be able to benefit from all the amenity and infrastructure that make Playford Alive such a vibrant and well-planned community.”
A collaboration between Renewal SA, the South Australian Housing Trust and the City of Playford, Playford Alive is one of Australia’s largest urban renewal projects.
Daniel Borg, 19, has bought a 310m2 block in the neighbouring Palmer Estate and will benefit from the extended Newton Boulevard.
Daniel, who works in finance and presently lives with his mother and nonna in Salisbury Heights, is not the first of his family to move into Playford Alive – his two brothers bought into the community in 2020.
“I chose Playford Alive because it’s the ideal location for me; it offers great amenities like shopping centres, restaurants, gyms and more,” Daniel, who signed a contract in July 2024, says.
“Also, the affordability here, compared to other estates, allowed me to enter the market as soon as possible, which has always been a big goal of mine.
“And living near my brothers and best mate sealed the deal - my brothers’ homes are two minutes away from my block, and upon signing my contract and chatting to a friend he decided to sign a contract for a package as well in a subsequent release.
“Overall, the local family and community, convenience, and affordability made Playford Alive an easy choice for my first home.”
In more good news for Playford Alive, Renewal SA has announced it’s finalising the selection of three builders to accelerate the construction of 25 affordable rental homes in the area.
Builders were selected from the recently announced Renewal SA Residential Builders Panel.
This is the first project to use the Panel, which was announced in July this year.
Under this system, 15 companies have been selected to join a list of builders to deliver Medium Density Housing on Renewal SA developments. Doing so intends to remove lengthy procurement processes, simplify processes, and get residents in homes sooner.
Renewal SA is expediting the process further by re-sequencing traditional procedures where the state government will transfer allotments to community housing providers, who then construct and lease the dwellings.
In this case, Renewal SA will build the dwellings prior to handing over to community housing suppliers, getting affordable rentals onto the market about 12 months sooner.
Affordable rentals use income-based price capping and offer housing at less than 75 per cent of the market rate.
About Playford Alive
Playford Alive involves the renewal of the suburbs of Davoren Park and Smithfield Plains and more than 50 hectares if greenfield development in Andrews Farm, Munno Para and Penfield.
Throughout this community are new facilities including schools, a medical centre, railway station, wetland and parklands, a $250 million town centre and several new outlets and community facilities.
Situated between Main North Road and the Northern Expressway, Playford Alive is also one of Adelaide’s most connected communities, supported by train and bus services including a new train station at Munno Para.
By the end of 2027, Playford Alive is projected to home more than 40,000 people.