Tooronga Village

The shopping centre dated back to the 1960s (Coles traded there from 1968){{cite news|title=Tooronga Store|newspaper=Progress Leader|date=17 August 2010|page=11}} but there was little development of the centre since the 1970s. In December 1985, developers Hudson Conway paid $1.25m for the adjacent former brickworks, despite a proposed open-space order on the site approved by the former Hawthorn Council ten years prior. Hudson Conway proposed extending the shopping centre into the brickworks site, substantially expanding the centre and including a discount department store. By 1990, Hudson Conway had varied its proposal several times to include potential combinations of a commercial centre, offices and hotel blocks. The proposals met with substantial local opposition led by the Tooronga Action Group,{{cite web|url=http://www.toorongaactiongroup.org.au|title=Tooronga Action Group|accessdate=2007-06-28}} and anti-development candidates were voted into Hawthorn Council. In 1991 a site-specific development zone was designated for the site, which allowed for more modest development comprising an office complex on the existing shopping centre site, and retail space on the former brickworks site.{{cite book|author=V.Peel, D.Zion, J.Yule|title=A History of Hawthorn|publisher=Melbourne University Press|year=1993}}

Hudson Conway failed to develop the site, and sold its half of the shopping centre site to Coles Myer in 1995. Pacific Shopping Centres subsequently sold its 50% share to Coles Myer in 1997. In 2000, Coles Myer, which had opened its head office on land immediately adjacent in 1986, had plans for a major retail and entertainment development of the precinct but never proceeded with them.{{cite news |title=Coles has red-hot expansion plans|publisher=Australian Financial Review|author=Karina Barrymore|page=30|date=2000-01-31}} Finally, developers Stockland agreed in 2004 to purchase the site from Coles Myer (subject to planning approval) for $30m{{cite web|publisher=The Age, Melbourne|date=2008-08-13|accessdate=2008-08-13|title=Summerhill competition on the line|url=http://www.businessday.com.au/business/summerhill-competition-on-the-line-20080812-3u7c.html}} and proceeded with plans for a mixed-use development, comprising residential, retail and office use. The Victorian State Government upset local residents by taking planning control away from Boroondara Council and approving the project.{{cite news |title=Tooronga zoning new battle for Boroondara|publisher=The Age|date=2006-06-14| url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/tooronga-zoning-new-battle-for-boroondara/2006/01/13/1137118970304.html | location=Melbourne}}{{cite press release|title=Council calls urgent Ministerial meeting over Tooronga|date=2006-11-01| publisher=City of Boroondara| url=http://www.boroondara.vic.gov.au/council/media_rel/releases/nov/meeting}}

In addition to a redeveloped shopping centre of 8,000 sq.m., the overall development intended in five stages over five to seven years was originally planned to have 600 townhouses and apartments (later expanded to 785 apartments) plus office space (4,000 sq.m.) and provide some parking for the adjacent Coles head office. The development works caused minor controversy in November 2008 with the revelation that drinking water was being used in large quantity across the site to suppress dust.{{cite web|publisher=Progress Leader|title=Developer sprays drinking water on dirt at Tooronga Village|date=2008-11-19|url=http://progress-leader.whereilive.com.au/news/story/spray-for-developer-tooronga-lobby-s-ire-at-stockland-water-use/}} By June 2009, economic circumstances had led the developer to opt for a greater number of less expensive apartments.{{cite news|publisher=The Age, Melbourne|date=2009-06-20|accessdate=2009-06-22|title=Penthouse prices tumbling|url=http://www.theage.com.au/national/penthouse-prices-tumbling-20090619-cr9p.html | first1=Natalie | last1=Craig | first2=Marika | last2=Dobbin}} By June 2010, 297 apartments were planned for the first stage of development, with a plan to expand to 785 apartments over five stages.{{cite news|title=In tune at Tooronga|newspaper=Herald-Sun|date=22 June 2010|page=58}} The car servicing franchise Ultra Tune planned to relocate its head office to the precinct.

In December 2011, Stockland abandoned the remaining residential stages of the development, in line with its general exit from the apartment sector, opting instead to sell 7.7 hectares of the undeveloped land back to Coles.{{cite news|publisher=The Australian|title=Stockland sale|date=3 December 2011|url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/opinion/nbn-delay-by-accc-stalls-telstra-payoff/story-e6frg9io-1226212729980|accessdate=20 March 2012}}{{cite news|url=http://www.smh.com.au/business/property/when-developments-a-beach-20111202-1obhz.html|publisher=The Age|date=3 December 2011|title=Tooronga swap-fest|page=25}}{{cite news|publisher=Herald-Sun|date=3 December 2011|title=Coles regains land|page=82|url=http://www.heraldsun.com.au/business/coles-regains-land/story-fn7j19iv-1226212705709}} In late 2013, Coles sold 5.4 hectares of this vacant land to St Kevin's College (unconfirmed at $23 million) for the purpose of sporting facilities, including three soccer pitches, a hockey pitch, Australian Rules oval, 12 tennis courts and 200 metre athletics track. This facility opened on the 17 June 2017.{{cite news|title=St Kevin's College set to acquire Tooronga land from Coles for sporting fields|url=http://www.propertyobserver.com.au/schools/st-kevin-s-college-set-to-acquire-tooronga-land-from-coles-for-sporting-fields|accessdate=31 December 2013|newspaper=Property Observer|date=6 August 2013}}{{cite news|last1=Pallisco|first1=Marc|title=St Kevin's College flattens high density plan to create world-class sports campus|url=http://www.smh.com.au/business/st-kevins-college-flattens-high-density-plan-to-create-worldclass-sports-campus-20150609-ghjj6d.html|accessdate=10 June 2015|publisher=Sydney Morning Herald|date=10 June 2015}}

In March 2019, Stockland stated its intention to sell Tooronga Village shopping centre{{cite news |title=Vivid development pain in South Melbourne |url=https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/vivid-development-pain-in-south-melbourne-20190320-p515ws.html |accessdate=24 March 2019 |publisher=The Age |date=23 March 2019}} and in July 2019, [http://www.newmarkcapital.com.au Newmark Capital] announced it had purchased the centre, for a figure reported to be in excess of $62 million.{{cite news |last1=Johanson |first1=Simon |title=Newmark pounces on Tooronga Village in $62m deal |url=https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/newmark-pounces-on-tooronga-village-in-62m-deal-20190709-p525mk.html |accessdate=10 July 2019 |publisher=Sydney Morning Herald |date=9 July 2019}}

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{{Shopping centres in Victoria}}

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Category:Shopping centres in Melbourne

Category:1960s establishments in Australia

Category:Shopping malls established in the 20th century

Category:Buildings and structures in the City of Boroondara