Adelaide’s newest suburb Southwark officially has its first residents, as the ambitious promise to have frames up at the former West End Brewery site by Christmas is delivered by the State Government.

Contracts are being finalised for sales of the first 17 homes at Renewal SA’s Port Road development Southwark Grounds, only weeks after hitting the market.

Dozens of ‘Notice of Intent’ documents were lodged for the 17 townhouses, signalling strong buyer interest in the development. Buyers were then selected through a fair and independent ballot process.

This milestone marks the first major achievement for the 1,300-home precinct and sets the stage for a broader construction and sales program in the year ahead.

Next year will see momentum grow with a 150-home apartment and townhouse development set to break ground.

The partnership between local firm Otello and national developer Fortis is the largest of the developer-led building projects secured to date.

Located on the corner of Holland and Winwood Street overlooking the River Torrens/Karawirra Parri, the project will offer a range of sizes and layouts and include retail facilities.

Three more development groups will also begin early sales and construction next year.

Samaras Group will deliver a boutique apartment building fronting the future Colonel Light Plaza, Contour Property who will introduce 40 townhouses under the West Village banner and Kolabb will add 26 townhouses to be known as Anderson Lane.

Together, these partners will deliver one-third of Southwark Grounds, securing commitments to develop four of the six land parcels released to the private market in April.

Negotiations continue on the remaining two parcels, including the master-precinct development site delivering more than 1,000 homes and a substantial portion of public realm, including the renewal of the Brew Tower.

Meanwhile, South Australian civil construction firm Catcon has begun a civil and streetscape program to prepare the broader 8.4-hectare area for private development partners to start building in 2026.