Reasons to invest in the City of Unley

Immediately south of Adelaide’s CBD, Unley is one of 18 metropolitan councils that make up Greater Adelaide. Unley is South Australia’s most established, densely populated and highly sought-after areas. For a business, investor, developer or family looking to establish a future in a strong, stable and affluent environment, the City of Unley really is a 'community of possibilities'.

Our residential neighbourhoods include South Australia’s some of most prestigious addresses and desirable postcodes. Our rich, active cultural life offers access regular festivals, markets, community and sporting events,in a safe, beautiful environment.

Unley's five unique business districts cluster along its five main transport corridors leading from the south into Adelaide’s CBD. Each has a unique culture and vibe and present distinctive opportunities for consumers and investors. 

More opportunities exist on our boundary roads such as Greenhill Road, Anzac Highway, South Road and Glen Osmond Road, professional business and medical precincts which are seeing residential uplift and strong levels of employment.

Prime Location 

The City of Unley is within proximity of a range of major landmarks, services and institutions between the south-eastern entrance to Adelaide CBD and the capital's airport.

We are continuously building on this geographical advantage by improving our city’s roads, enhancing our cycling and walking network, reducing traffic congestion and supporting enhancements to the public transport network.

Vehicles Per Day

Anzac Highway - 48,500  
South Road - 49,900
Cross Road - 33,600
Fullarton Road - 25,500
Glen Osmond Road - 25,700
Greenhill Road - 50,100
Unley Road - 30,100
Goodwood Road - 29,300
King William Road - 19,600

Map of Adelaide and its surrounds(PDF, 508KB)

Whatever your goals and ambitions, we hope to partner with you to realise them here in the City of Unley.

For more information about investment opportunities, please phone Peter Hughes or Peter Tsokas on 08 8372 5104.

To find out what the City of Unley has to offer you, view our economic profile online.

Why to Invest in the City of Unley Statistics Flyer(PDF, 40KB)

The Unley Council has a pro-active ‘help, not hinder’ attitude to development and seeks to create greater local opportunities for businesses and investors.

With strong support from the Government of South Australia, which is introducing legislative reforms to encourage growth in the state’s urban centres, Unley has enormous scope for new development, infrastructure and services. High-value aged care facilities and exclusive apartment developments are just a couple of the emerging opportunities.

The government has reduced stamp duty on ‘off the plan’ inner-city apartment purchases making them more attractive to buyers, allowed greater height limits of buildings in some locations and reduced red tape, streamlining bureaucratic processes. Several important projects are currently underway or in the final stages of approval, paving the way for visionary development activity.

King William and Goodwood Road revitalisation projects

Major revitalisation projects were initiated for the King William Road and Goodwood Road precincts in 2014, with upgrades costing over $15 million. The Goodwood Road and King William Road revitalisation projects are now completed, which have resulted in:

• Pedestrian and bike-friendly environments
• Space activation and street enhancements to facilitate outdoor dining
• Undergrounding of powerlines and upgrades to streetscapes, including new public art

Rich Community Heritage

With a firm focus on supporting and facilitating Unley’s continued economic growth and development, Council is equally mindful of the need to achieve this without detracting from the city's rich heritage and multicultural character.

Key to our vision of sustainable development is the need to recognise and reinforce the character of streetscapes and buildings and the vibrancy of the City’s distinct villages and neighbourhoods by:

• Retaining valued and architecturally-significant buildings
• Sensitively incorporating complementary new higher-density, mixed-use developments
• Enhancing Unley's liveability, with improved local facilities, services and pedestrian-friendly roads
• Creating better public transport, cycling and walking networks 

 

An Age Friendly City

Integral to our respect for community heritage is our commitment to being a leading 'age-friendly' city. We do all we can to ensure Unley is accessible for everyone, promotes health and personal wellbeing and provides opportunities for social inclusion.

We want our residents to live fulfilled lives and establish deep roots within this community. We have a genuinely committed approach to planning, developing and implementing policies, programs and services which address our community's changing needs. Cities designed with older people in mind are great cities for everyone.

With a unique mix of cutting-edge fashion and creative design, home wares, services and award-winning cafes and restaurants, Unley is where you will ‘find your everything’.

Unley contains five of the best-known and most prestigious mainstreet precincts in South Australia: King William, Unley, Goodwood, Glen Osmond and Fullarton Roads.

These bustling strips contain three malls – the Metro, Unley and Arkaba Shopping Centres. The majority of retail activity is dispersed along main thoroughfares, where a diverse range of businesses enjoy lower property and rental costs than their CBD counterparts, with high volumes of passing traffic and local resident support.

Many possibilities also exist on our boundary roads. Greenhill Road is a prime commercial and office precinct on the CBD and parklands fringe, with emerging potential as an premier residential or business address with and enviable location, access to services and amenities, and views to the coast and foothills.

Support for small business

A range of services and support is available for businesses in the area, such as:

• Mainstreet Trader Associations

• Networking events

• Business support and training through the Eastside Business Enterprise Centre

Unley's Mainstreet Digital Economy Strategy has been implemented to drive traffic towards the city’s bricks and mortar businesses. 

• Multiple cosmopolitan shopping precincts
• A thriving café culture and over a dozen wine bars, hotels and nightspots
• Access to an abundance of facilities and services 
• Free wi-fi in two of the main shopping precincts
• Highly desired location for student living
• Ample affordable and efficient public transport
• An exciting calendar of events attracting thousands of local residents, as well as visitors from greater Adelaide, interstate and overseas
• The Adelaide Showgrounds, which hosts over 130 public events every year. This includes premier event the Royal Adelaide Show, which attracts over 500,000 people annually
• A low 40km/h speed limit in residential streets, creating a safe, family-friendly environment
• Bicycle lanes on all major roads and a bicycle network across the city's residential streets
• Well-maintained parks, reserves and public recreational spaces to enjoy all kinds of outdoor activities
• Leafy tree-lined streets providing a cool green canopy and aesthetically pleasant environment
• Quality sports and recreational facilities for clubs and the community
• Close proximity to 22 childcare centres, 12 primary schools and 6 high schools
• Significant growth in age-friendly retirement living and support services 

We are working with the French community to help our City become a ‘home away from home’ for French visitors.

To achieve this, some of the events and activities Council is involved in include:

• Building on our partnership with Alliance Française and our sister-city relationship with the town of Pozières
• Hosting French-themed festivals and events, such as the annual Alliance Française French Markets
• Offering translation services to businesses, and encouraging shop traders to have signs in French language
• Partnering with  Alliance Française d’Adelaïde language and cultural school to create a new resource centre in Unley
• Lobbying the State Government to select a site in Unley in which to base a French language school. The government has since nominated Highgate Primary and Unley High as the first bilingual schools in Adelaide.