Hampstead and Keswick barracks fast-tracked, 400 homes planned

Why it matters

Both parcels are in inner suburbs. Hampstead covers seven hectares on Muller Road, Greenacres, around 9km north-east of the Adelaide CBD, while Keswick spans 12.8 hectares roughly 4km south-west of it.

Renewal SA, the state land agency (see our earlier Renewal SA housing delivery story), has sketched early plans for about 400 homes at Hampstead, per The Post SA. Apartment buildings and townhouses of two and three storeys would sit around a big public park.

Formal talks have begun between the two governments on the state buying the Hampstead land, which Defence no longer needs. The report says the $500 million Housing Fast-Track Fund could help pay for it.

Keswick is further off. Renewal SA acquired it in 2023 in a land swap with the Commonwealth tied to the AUKUS submarine project at Osborne, and Defence still uses it. Any future development there is to set aside at least 15 per cent of homes as affordable housing, the report says.

The numbers

• Hampstead Barracks: seven hectares, about 400 homes in preliminary plans.
• Keswick Barracks: 12.8 hectares, with heritage investigations of historic buildings underway alongside infrastructure and services assessments.
• Housing Fast-Track Fund: $500 million, which could help fund the Hampstead purchase.
• Affordable housing: at least 15 per cent of homes at Keswick.

Keswick also falls under the state’s Inner South Masterplan, which the report says combines housing, public space and transport planning across three locations: Keswick, Forestville (the former Le Cornu site) and Wayville (the Adelaide Showgrounds).

What’s next

The Post SA says no construction dates are set. In 2027, Hampstead’s admin staff, cadets and reservists are slated to relocate temporarily to Keswick. Both sites’ people are then expected to shift for good to expanded Warradale facilities by 2030, two years sooner than the old timetable.

Renewal SA has started assessing what Hampstead could become, with detailed planning and community consultation still ahead.

One more Defence site is under review. A portion of Warradale Barracks, about 11km south of the CBD, has been flagged for possible redevelopment. It lies at Oaklands and Morphett roads, and Defence would keep its other facilities there.

The plans are preliminary and the Hampstead acquisition is still under negotiation.