ResidentialLindsay SaundersThu 17 Sep 26
Rezoning Clears Way for 400 Homes Beside Adelaide’s St Clair Station
Almost 400 homes could be developed beside Adelaide’s St Clair railway station after a successful bid to allow buildings of up to seven storeys on the site.
Melbourne-based property group ISPT secured the approval to rezone its 2.1ha of vacant land next to St Clair Village shopping centre, paving the way for a larger mixed-use precinct anchored by an expanded retail centre.
The rezoning lifts the maximum building height from four storeys to seven storeys while setting a minimum height of two levels.
ISPT’s site, vacant land formerly part of the Cheltenham racecourse, is on Cheltenham Parade, about 9km north-west of the Adelaide CBD.
The planning change endorsed by the SA Government, brings the vacant allotment into the same Suburban Activity Centre Zone as St Clair Village, allowing residential development alongside retail and other centre uses.
ISPT had previously proposed expanding the shopping centre, with the wider redevelopment also expected to include apartments, hospitality, childcare and other retail uses.
The planning framework does not approve specific buildings but creates the conditions for a future masterplanned development across the shopping centre and vacant land.
Planning documents identified the existing St Clair Village as a neighbourhood-level activity centre with about 6475sq m of retail floorspace. The proposed planning changes would allow the centre to expand towards the 10,000sq m level identified for neighbourhood centres under Greater Adelaide planning policy.
The catchment around St Clair Village is forecast to grow from about 63,000 people to almost 79,000 by 2046, with retail spending forecast to rise from about $890 million to $1.3 billion over the same period.
The site’s proximity to rail was a key factor in the rezoning, with the state positioning higher-density development around established public transport and infrastructure.
The decision follows the government’s separate move to pursue higher-density development at West Lakes shopping centre, where planning changes could eventually allow towers of up to 20 storeys and as many as 2000 homes.
The St Clair proposal was first put forward in 2025, when ISPT sought to expand the Suburban Activity Centre Zone over the vacant land and increase the height limit. At that stage, no specific buildings had been proposed.
ISPT (Industry Superannuation Property Trust) is one of Australia’s largest unlisted property fund managers, holding more than $21 billion in funds under management.
