Flinders Ranges Council selling land parcels to ease housing crisis

A South Australian council is selling off 17 parcels of land in a bid to ease local housing shortages and entice newcomers to its region.

Flinders Ranges Council acting chief executive officer Paula Osborne said the sale of the land, which includes the former Hawker CWA hall and the old Hawker kindergarten and history hub, was motivated by a desire to provide more housing options in the area, rather than raising revenue.

“It’s not about making money,’’ Ms Osborne said.

“We’ve got pressures on housing, obviously there’s a (national) housing crisis going on, and we want to open up land for people for housing.’’

She said the allotments located in Hawker, Quorn and Craddock were first identified as surplus to council requirements in 2023.

Since then, there had been a lengthy process to have each block’s community land status revoked, which would remove restrictions for buyers seeking them for residential use, Ms Osborne said.

Most of the land parcels were vacant and there was no heritage listing on the CWA hall or the kindergarten building preventing their demolition, she said.

Mayor Ken Anderson said disposing of the surplus properties ensured they would contribute positively to the region’s future.

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“Where land or buildings are no longer required for council purposes, selling them can provide an opportunity for someone else to invest, develop and breathe new life into these properties,’’ he said.

“We want to see positive development happening across the Flinders Ranges.

“Making surplus land available to the market can help create new opportunities for residents, businesses and investors, while also reducing the ongoing maintenance costs for council.’’

Selling agent Kylie Fuller, of Nutrien Harcourts, said tourist operators had been among those to express interest in the CWA hall and kindergarten.

She said the other land parcels had drawn inquiries from locals and those outside the Flinders Ranges area, with the majority looking for somewhere to build a home.

“It (the land parcels) is a mixed bag. You can’t compare an allotment in Quorn to an allotment in Hawker or Craddock,’’ Ms Fuller said.

“There’s not really a one size fits all so (the type of inquiries received) has been pretty interesting.’’

Reserve prices have been set for each allotment but are not been publicly disclosed.

No offers would be considered prior to the properties going to auction on September 23, the council confirmed.

“(The council) have been reasonable with the pricing,’’ Ms Fuller said.

“The auction is going to be a great opportunity to get a foot on the property ladder or to purchase somewhere that is probably a little bit out of the box for most people in Adelaide.’’

– by Lauren Ahwan