A piece of history will be brought back to life in Adelaide’s inner west, with the State Government restoring the suburb of Southwark.

Central to the new suburb will be the new $1 billion mixed-use development at the former West End Brewery site, which will now deliver up to 1300 new dwellings, an increase of up to 300 homes.

Civil construction is expected to start within months, with the first residents anticipated to move in by the end of next year.

Southwark was first laid out in 1881, and featured streets lined with cottages on the edge of the Park Lands. Some of these cottages then made way for the former brewery, which was rebadged as Southwark brewery in 1949. Due to the rapid expansion of the brewery and further subdivisions in the area, Southwark became known as Thebarton.

Residents and businesses in streets surrounding the former brewery site – which were part of the original Southwark suburb – will be consulted to assess whether they are included in the new suburb.

This includes approximately 420 homes and businesses within the area bound by the River Torrens to the north, Port Road to the east, Light Terrace to the south and Dew and Stirling streets to the west.

Existing residents and businesses impacted will be able to provide feedback to the proposal when consultation occurs in the coming months, with the new suburb likely formalised by the end of the year.

At least 20 per cent of the housing at the 8.4-hectare former brewery site will be offered for affordable sale or rental through HomeSeeker SA.

The development will also provide for retail, commercial, hospitality and community-use opportunities, with direct access to key transport links, employment centres, cultural and sporting attractions.

Proposed government services originally slated for the site will now be relocated to an alternative location, allowing for up to 30 per cent more homes to be built in the city fringe location.

The development will also expand the River Torrens Linear Park Trail at the site, with the potential to return more than 6000 square metres of upgraded green space into public ownership.

In honour of the site’s history, the heritage Walkerville Brew Tower and the foundations of Colonel William Light's ‘Theberton Cottage’ will be revitalised.

Key objectives for the development include:

• Generous inclusion of public and open spaces and a new relationship with a rejuvenated River Torrens corridor
• Integrated street, cycle, walking and public transport network including new shared use path connecting with the Park Lands under Port Road.
• Sustainable buildings in an ecological setting with a target of 30 per cent tree canopy.
• 6 Star Green Star Communities rating including water sensitive urban design.

The State Government is inviting local, national and international developers to provide their expertise and creativity through a market sounding exercise.

The project is anticipated to generate significant economic benefits, creating 4,000 jobs during construction and over 150 ongoing retail and hospitality roles.

For more information, refer to Proposed new suburb: Southwark.