Adelaide’s newest suburb Tonsley is born on old Mitsubishi site
ADELAIDE’S newest suburb has officially been created — but you probably already called it by its new name anyway.
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ADELAIDE’S newest suburb has officially been created — but you probably already called it by its new name anyway.
The industrial suburb based around the former Mitsubishi car manufacturing plant in the southern suburbs has for decades been widely known as Tonsley — and now it has been officially renamed Tonsley after an application from the local council.
Until now, Tonsley has not been the area’s official name — it was part of Clovelly Park.
Manufacturing and Innovation Minister Kyam Maher said the request for a name change had been approved, and the area would now officially carry a name borrowed from England’s Tonsley Hall,
The renamed suburb includes the former Mitsubishi site on South Rd near Flinders University, which is being developed by the government and includes a new TAFE campus as well as university buildings.
The new suburb is bordered by South Rd/Main South Rd, Sturt Rd and the Tonsley rail line, and also includes a small industrial precinct to the northeast of the site.
A new residential development in the area will host more than 800 homes and about 1200 residents.
However, existing houses in one pocket of Tonsley were at the centre of a contamination scandal in recent years.
Air and soil test results in 2013 revealed high levels of trichloroethylene (TCE) — a chemical associated with liver and kidney cancers. Residents in 25 homes were forced to leave the area.
TCE is believed to have entered the groundwater after use at the nearby Monroe factory.
Mr Maher said Tonsley had become “Australia’s leading innovation district”.
“The official renaming of Tonsley is recognition of the progression of South Australia’s history of production, with the site home to farming, automotive manufacturing and now a bright future in advanced manufacturing and technology,” he said.
“I am proud of what we have been able to achieve at the Tonsley Innovation Hub — it is now an incredibly accessible site that is home to more than 70 businesses and will continue to grow into the future.
“The State Government is transforming the suburb of Tonsley into a collaborative and high-value industry, education and residential precinct, where business people, researchers, tertiary students, industries and companies can interact and innovate.”
Renewal SA chief executive John Hanlon last year revealed to a State Parliament committee that the asset value of the Tonsley development had been slashed, largely because “expected revenue returns” from tenants had been too “ambitious” and were not realised.
