The City of Onkaparinga has welcomed a state government announcement for a 230ha, 3,600-home precinct at Port Stanvac, following years of advocacy from the council, community and local businesses.

Mayor Moira Were says unlocking the former oil refinery site – the largest undeveloped land holding in metropolitan Adelaide – is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the city and the state.

“We’ve long advocated for Port Stanvac to be master-planned to unlock its full potential, and to meet our communities’ and businesses’ desire to see a good balance of affordable housing, industrial land, and the preservation of the stunning coastline,” she says.

“This is a unique, one-off opportunity to drive economic, social and environmental benefits and we can’t afford to waste it.

“The announcement of 3,600 new homes is an important one given the housing crisis, and we’re pleased to see some of these earmarked as affordable housing.

“The proposed precinct also needs to meet the demand for employment opportunities from population growth in areas such as Aldinga, Hackham, Port Noarlunga South, Sellicks Beach, and the future growth of Lonsdale over the next decade.

“There are currently only 29 hectares of vacant employment land in Onkaparinga, making Port Stanvac a pivotal part of the broader Lonsdale employment precinct and integral to creating local employment and sustaining jobs growth.

“Our business leaders, the Onkaparinga Ambassadors, have been strong advocates for the future of Port Stanvac, highlighting that the site holds immense potential to become a hub for sustainable business innovation, employment growth, tourism, and environmental stewardship.”

Mayor Were says the council’s focus now would be to work with the state government and developer, MAB, to ensure the local community and businesses’ wishes were front of mind.

“As with other recent land releases in Onkaparinga, we’ll be pushing for this development be sustainable and climate resilient, with the right infrastructure in place at the right time,” she says.

“The complete remediation of this site will be paramount, and we also want to see open space and access to the world-class coastline retained through the development.

“Ultimately, we want to see this development and its mix of uses become models of sustainability, thriving industry and community wellbeing, setting new benchmarks for economic, social and environmental excellence in SA.

“I encourage everyone to have their say when the state government opens for community engagement.”