Full vision for Southwark’s transformation revealed

Southwark Grounds will transform into a fully serviced inner-city neighbourhood, with South Australian developer Commercial & General selected as the master developer to transform two-thirds of the former West End Brewery site.

The State Government will partner with South Australian developer Commercial & General to deliver more than 1,000 homes alongside a supermarket, a childcare centre, an aged care facility and a vibrant hospitality and retail precinct at Adelaide’s newest suburb.

Commercial & General will work with Renewal SA on adaptive reuse of the historic Walkerville Brew Tower, which will anchor the precinct’s public space with hospitality and retail uses.

The newly announced homes, services and amenities form part of the broader 1,300‑home Southwark Grounds development, expanding on five apartment and townhouse projects on the western side of the site announced last year, which will deliver approximately 300 new homes close to services and public transport.

Local development group Commercial & General are known for landmark projects across Adelaide including Eighty‑Eight O’Connell in North Adelaide and WEST at West Lakes.

Commercial & General is now finalising partnerships with a selection of architects and consultants to progress detailed plans and product designs for the precinct. Built form will be delivered by Commercial & General’s integrated building division, Tandem Building, with work expected to begin in 2027. It should take about a decade to deliver the precinct.

Early stages are anticipated to include significant apartment complexes, public parking and the redevelopment of the Walkerville Brew Tower.

Other key elements planned for delivery within the next five years include a vertical residential aged care facility and a purpose-built childcare centre, with a supermarket and supporting retail to follow soon after.

This large section of the precinct will deliver more than 1,000 homes across approximately a dozen apartment buildings, with opportunities for increased yield to be explored through increased height allowances enabled by the recently launched Southwark Grounds Code Amendment.

Commercial & General will also deliver a dedicated 80-space short stay public car park to support anticipated visitor demand, in addition to parking provided within individual apartment developments.

More than 20 per cent of homes within the development area will be allocated to affordable sale or rental, meeting Renewal SA’s increased commitment to affordable housing across the precinct.

Apartment buildings will be framed by activated public thoroughfares and a series of new reserves to be delivered by Renewal SA across 2026 and 2027.

The public realm, which will comprise a minimum of 15 per cent of the overall precinct, will be anchored by a major civic space known as ‘Brewery Green’, connecting the Walkerville Brew Tower to the river.

A detailed masterplan of the precinct alongside product typologies are set to be released later this year.

The State Government has embarked on several strategic infill developments to deliver critical housing supply to South Australia at pace. The Government purchased the Port Road site from Lion Beer Wine & Spirits Pty Ltd in 2023 after the closure of the brewery two years earlier and has since fast tracked the construction of the first homes, set for occupation by the end of this year.