West End Brewery site ripe for development after parent company Lion announces closure of the Thebarton factory in 2021
A major redevelopment of the West End Brewery site is expected to follow the closure of the factory next year, continuing the revitalisation of Adelaide’s inner west.
SA Business
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Developers are expected to circle the West End Brewery site ahead of the factory’s closure next year, with property experts predicting the site could fetch up to $60m.
Lion confirmed on Wednesday that it expected to sell the sprawling 7.9ha site, following its decision to shut down the brewery in June 2021.
The site’s location close to the tram, Bowden development and parklands is expected to spark a transformation in the coming years, similar to the $1 billion redevelopment of the former Clipsal and gasworks sites across Port Road.
Renewal SA, which has overseen that development since the State Government’s acquisition of the site in 2008, declined to comment on whether it would be interested in purchasing the West End Brewery property.
Urban Development Institute SA chief executive Pat Gerace expects the site to attract significant interest from local and interstate developers.
“What we’re really seeing here is the transformation of old Adelaide into new Adelaide,” he said.
“These manufacturing sites have been around for decades but it’s not the best use of land in any capital city to have a factory located that close to the CBD - it’s not the best location in terms of transportation and freight.
“The vision of the former government, in terms of extending the tram to that area, was that the whole stretch would eventually get redeveloped - we’re now going to see the fruits of that investment.
“I think it is particularly sad that we won't have West End operating in South Australia, but the silver lining is that it provides a wonderful opportunity to create a boulevard from Parliament House all the way down to the Entertainment Centre.”
The Thebarton property was valued at $44.7m at the start of this year, but property firm Colliers International, which sold the nearby Coca-Cola factory last year for $37.3m, suggests the price could reach as high as $750 per square metre, or $60m.
Colliers International director Alistair Mackie said the property was likely to hit the market in the new year, with pricing dependant on the level of remediation and demolition required.
“This is likely to be the largest remaining, privately-controlled site located in such close proximity to any Australian CBD that will be available for redevelopment for generations to come,” he said.
“It will appeal to developers who specialise in creating master planned communities and will likely feature high density living, a mix of commercial and retail uses, with a focus around a village square - or it could be an ideal location for new educational or healthcare facilities.”
Adelaide developer Pep Rocca snapped up the main 3.5ha portion of the former Coca-Cola site, with plans to develop a mix of commercial and residential buildings.
Anglicare will develop a smaller slice of former Coca-Cola land into affordable housing, while PRD Project Management has previously sought approval for a 12-storey apartment building on the former E.S. Wigg & Son envelope factory nearby.
The projects form part of an expected revitalisation of the stretch of Port Road bordering Bonython Park.
“It (West End brewery redevelopment) could be a catalyst for greater use of the parklands,” Mr Gerace said.
“If you think about the number of residents who could be living on that stretch from the old Metro Holden site right through to Bowden, that corner of the parklands could be our very own version of Central Park.”
Property Council SA executive director Daniel Gannon said the West End Brewery’s proximity to the city’s biomedical precinct would also appeal to developers.
“Contemporary planning changes to urban corridor zones now mean that residential development, along with other mixed-use options, becomes a viable and attractive option for this inner-city site.”
