Kidd Retail Group to turn old Boiler House at Tonsley into brewery and restaurant

A DISUSED 1960s boiler house which used to generate steam for car manufacturing in the southern suburbs is set to be transformed into a new brewery and restaurant.

A concept image for the Boiler House redevelopment in the Tonsley Innovation District. Picture: SA Government

• Brewery, shops and apartments planned for Tonsley boilerhouse
• Tonsley boiler house up for sale

A DISUSED 1960s boiler house which used to generate steam for car manufacturing in the southern suburbs is set to be transformed into a new brewery and restaurant.

The team behind Lady Burra Brewhouse and Kitchen in the Adelaide CBD, Kidd Retail Group, have won a contract to redevelop the space at the Tonsley Innovation District.

When it opens early next year the new brewery and food outlet will employ 75 people and act as a social hub for the more than 2000 Flinders University students based at the Tonsley campus and residents of nearby a 850-home development which is expected to be complete by September.

The 800 sqm Boiler House, previously used to generate steam for the former Mitsubishi and Chrysler manufacturing plants, will face a public plaza.

How the reimagined Tonsley boiler house will look. Picture: SA Government.

KRG proprietor Steven Kidd said it offered enough space for a brewery “that can provide beer for our bars in the city, supplementing what we are able to produce at Lady Burra in Topham Mall”.

“We also provide keg beer to other outlets and are looking to produce a range of bottled or canned beers at the Boiler House,” he said.

State Government agency Renewal SA put the boiler building on the market in October last year and will contribute up to $3 million for building works.

The building will be leased to KRG for an initial seven years.

An internal look of the redeveloped boiler house. Picture: SA Government.

Transport, Infrastructure and Local Government Minister Stephan Knoll said KRG were ideally suited to the project, having established the first microbrewery in Adelaide’s CBD.

“I’m sure that the addition of further food and beverage options on site will be welcome news for the more than 30 businesses and around 1300 people employed on the Tonsley site,” he said.

The building will be fitted internally by national firm Pinnacle, which is headquartered in Adelaide.

Its previous work includes hospitality fit outs at Jamie’s Italian in Adelaide and Perth and Parlamento on North Terrace.