Aspen advances land lease and holiday park plans for farm
Aspen advances affordable land lease project on SA coast
- Scaled proposal: Revised Normanville project includes 125 land lease homes
- Affordable focus: Homes targeted around the $400,000 mark
- Coastal lifestyle: Beach access, resort facilities and tourism component planned
- Heritage angle: Historic Cummings stables earmarked for future adaptive reuse
The ASX-listed affordable accommodation operator, which delivers housing across land lease, rental and other models, is set for expansion.
ASX-listed Aspen Group says its mission is to provide affordable housing options to around 40% of Australian households earning less than $90,000 a year.
In April 2024, The Weekly SOURCE reported that Aspen had lodged plans for a 181-home land lease community and a tourism park on South Australia's Fleurieu Peninsula.
Now Aspen Group’s project has been revised to a 125-home land lease community, four tourist cabins and 79 camping sites in the coastal township of Normanville, 77km south of Adelaide.
There are also plans for a bowling green, pool and solar-powered community centre.
The farm was formerly a stable used by thoroughbred trainer Jim M. Cummings whose son Bart, who would go on to train horses to a record 12 Melbourne Cup victories.
The village would be occupied mainly permanently by people over the age of 50 on a land lease basis that would allow many residents to be eligible for Commonwealth Rent Assistance (CRA).
Aspen purchased the farm, which was known locally as the Beau Neire thoroughbred stud, in September 2023.
Aspen Joint Chief Executive John Carter said many people now visited Normanville on a seasonal basis, making it difficult for service businesses to maintain a year-round service in the township.
He said the permanent residents of the land lease component of the planned Aspen Normanville project would mitigate that problem.
He said that as part of a separate future development application, Aspen would investigate how the state heritage-listed stable building might be adapted and reused.
“There’s a lot of history on the site and we’d love to do up the historic heritage listed barn, which will be a later stage of the development,” John said.
He added that Aspen would aim to price each home at around $400,000.
A right-of-way aligned with the southern boundary of the farm provides unrestricted access to the beach where the stud’s steeds used to exercise.
