CBD Future

A big step for our city’s heart.

A big step has been taken to breathe new life in to the heart of Playford, as Council progresses plans to reshape the Elizabeth CBD into a thriving retail, business and entertainment precinct.

Council’s renewed focus on the CBD kicked off in mid-2021, when it went to market for development partners. After a thorough process, market interest has provided Council with promising opportunities to consider for the development of the CBD, located adjacent to Playford Boulevard, Elizabeth. It also includes consideration of how the windbreaks along Main North Road could be enhanced to create a more active and green entrance way into the city.

With a population that is expected to reach 132,000 by 2036, a revitalised CBD is needed to meet the demands of the city’s rapidly growing community. It also responds to growth in areas beyond Playford, such as Gawler, Light and the Barossa, with the CBD acting as a centre that services regional communities to the north.

Importantly, developing a vibrant CBD fulfils a key community aspiration from the Playford Community Vision 2043, with the community expressing their desire for a vibrant and cosmopolitan city centre, with services and offerings all in the one place.

Infrastructure investment in the CBD began in 2017, including the redevelopment of Prince George Plaza, construction of a multi-deck car park and more recently, the opening of the Grenville Hub and upgrades to Fremont Park.

Council will now expand on this progress, but rather than developing the CBD itself, will work with private developers that align to the community’s vision for the area. Stringent guidelines are in place to ensure the right mix of quality urban design is delivered, which may include retail, business, professional and education offerings.

These plans echo the original sentiment for the centre of Elizabeth, which was spruiked as the “focal point for trading, professional and civic activity” when it was designed in the 1950s. Turn over to read more about the history of the Elizabeth town centre.

We want you involved

It’s your CBD and we want to keep you up to date and involved as the project progresses. Head to playford.sa.gov.au/CBD to find out more and sign up to our CBD newsletter which will keep you regularly updated on developments.

Building a CBD - What’s next in the process?

Council will decide which developer/s will be invited to submit a detailed proposal, explaining how they will achieve a thriving mixed-use destination while addressing built form, the environment and other considerations. The proposals selected by Council to progress development of the CBD will also inform Council’s final decisions around the revocation of community land on the windbreaks. In early 2022, Council will select the successful developer to continue to work with and importantly, undertake community engagement on the plans, especially public realm design. As the final decision maker - and when it is confident the plans deliver on the vision and community expectation - Council will enter into a contract with the developer to deliver the next stage of the Elizabeth CBD.

Residents in the Town Centre in the 1960s.

Spirit of yesterday, centre of today.

It’s a sepia photo from the 1950s capturing dusty paddocks, make-shift dirt roads and a scattering of trees in the distance.

While the grainy snapshot doesn’t inspire notions of cosmopolitan living, the plan for the site was visionary; this was the geographical heart of a new suburb called Elizabeth and it would grow to become the centre of life for a busy, thriving community.

South Australia’s first satellite city, Elizabeth promised a full family life in a modern city. It attracted largely British migrants, providing a ready workforce for local industry, namely the Weapons Research Establishment and GM Holden factory.

Promotional material of the day spruiked the Elizabeth town centre as the “focal point for trading, professional and civic activity, offering unique professional and business opportunities.” It lived up to its promise with incredible growth in the years that followed.

From the deserted paddocks, a hotel, shopping centre, civic and commercial buildings, court house, youth centre, picture theatre and manicured green spaces quickly sprouted.

The Elizabeth town centre was the place to visit your doctor or dentist, do the grocery shop and deposit your weekly pay cheque at the bank. It was where community came together; there were picture shows at the Shandon Drive Inn, Saturday night dates at the Elizabeth Roller Skating Rink and long summer days spent at the outdoor Bethbury Swimming Pool (now the Aquadome).

It truly became the heart of city and served the residents of the surrounding district as much as those living in Elizabeth itself.

In the decades that have passed, we might have had last drinks at the Elizabeth Hotel, said good bye to the Octagon, and picked our last outfits from the racks at Johnny’s, but the vision of Elizabeth as the centre of life in the north is being brought back to life, with new plans now underway to transform the city.