An upswing of homeownership in South Australia and a growing appetite for human-scale homes close to Adelaide’s city centre has sparked a shift in delivery for Renewal SA’s Bowden.
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Why we love this project
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Renewal SA captured the property industry’s attention in 2012 when it promised that every building project delivered on Bowden’s 16.3-hectare site would achieve a 5 Star Green Star rating or above.
Bowden, built on a former industrial site owned by the Clipsal corporation, now boasts what is believed to be the largest concentration of Green Star-rated residential buildings in the country.
This reputation for innovation and leadership is again on display, as Renewal SA commits to providing a wider variety of housing options by shifting its focus from high-density, multi-storey apartments to the creation of more medium-density townhouses and boutique-scale apartments.
“Townhouse developers, especially those who may not have previously considered Bowden because of our former focus on higher-density development, can now be part of its success story,” says project director Shane Wingard.
Bowden is attracting a significant level of interest from home buyers and the wider development industry, Wingard says, pointing to the Guild Terraces, a high-end townhouse development, as an example. “All 41 are now sold and settled.”
Just 2.5 kilometres from the Adelaide CBD, Bowden’s characterful and leafy community offers the benefits of a village in a city context. All homes are a stroll from Bowden’s town park and railway station, central hotspot Plant 4, nearby parklands, established retail, cafés and restaurants, pubs and markets.
Plant 4, the old Clipsal factory, is at the heart of the precinct. Reimagined as a retail space, the building’s saw-tooth roof and soaring ceilings proved a perfect backdrop for a green upgrade and a coveted Green Star rating.
A new microbrewery, restaurant, retail outlets and licensed event space are now open at Plant 4’s sister space, Plant 3. Meanwhile, Bowden’s new architecturally-designed childcare centre is set for completion in early 2022.
Building on this momentum, Lot 3001 Third Street Bowden – a 2,461 sqm land parcel considered ideal for medium-density townhouse development – is now on the market via expression of interest until 4 August 2021.
“We hope to soon appoint a development partner for Lot 3001 who will not only enhance Bowden’s environmental credentials by demonstrating sustainable built form, but who will deliver a townhouse development that reflects the industrial design character of the precinct,” Wingard says.
A further, and major, development opportunity is also available with the release-to-market of the area’s former Gasworks site. This 5.81-hectare, former industrial site was originally used to produce the gas that lit the streets of Adelaide during the 1800s and forms a key part of Bowden’s future transformation.
“We envisage that the development will reuse existing structures of heritage and cultural significance to deliver a lively, pedestrian-friendly, mixed-use precinct that fulfils Bowden’s vision and delivers lasting benefits to the local community.”
The market tender process is being undertaken in two-stages by Renewal SA – a Registration of Interest followed by a Request for Proposal – to best determine how to remediate and redevelop the historic site. Find out more from Renewal SA.
