Tooronga Village
A mixed-use residential, office and retail centre in Glen Iris, Melbourne, Victoria.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Tooronga Village is a mixed-use retail and property development in Glen Iris, an inner-eastern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria. Although the name historically referred to a local shopping centre, the site was substantially redeveloped during the late 2000s and early 2010s into a combination of retail, residential and office uses. The retail component reopened in August 2010 and includes supermarkets, liquor retail, cafés, restaurants and other local services. Its principal reported anchors are Coles Supermarkets and 1st Choice Liquor Superstore, with the centre described as having 22 shops, cafés and restaurants after redevelopment. The original shopping centre dates from the 1960s, with Coles operating at the site from 1968. Development activity remained limited after the 1970s, but the adjoining former brickworks land became the focus of repeated expansion proposals. Hudson Conway acquired the former brickworks site in December 1985 and proposed extending the shopping centre with a substantially larger commercial and retail complex. Over time, the proposals were revised to include possible offices, hotels and other commercial uses. Local opposition was substantial and was organised in part through the Tooronga Action Group. In 1991, a site-specific development zone enabled a more modest concept involving office space on the existing shopping-centre land and retail use on the former brickworks parcel. After Hudson Conway failed to progress the project, ownership arrangements changed. Hudson Conway sold its half-share of the shopping-centre site to Coles Myer in 1995, and Pacific Shopping Centres sold its remaining 50 percent share to Coles Myer in 1997. Coles Myer had also established its head office on adjacent land in 1986 and considered a larger retail and entertainment precinct in 2000, but that plan did not proceed. Stockland agreed in 2004 to purchase the site from Coles Myer for a reported $30 million, subject to planning approval. Its proposal was a staged mixed-use redevelopment, combining an approximately 8,000-square-metre shopping centre with homes, offices and parking associated with the nearby Coles head office. Early plans envisaged 600 townhouses and apartments, later increased to a possible 785 apartments, as well as approximately 4,000 square metres of office accommodation. Planning control was transferred from Boroondara Council to the Victorian State Government, a decision that generated local concern. Construction and market conditions changed the residential program. In 2008, the former shopping centre temporarily closed for redevelopment. During construction, the use of drinking water for dust suppression prompted minor controversy. By 2009, Stockland was considering a larger number of lower-cost apartments, while the first residential stage was planned to contain 297 apartments by June 2010. The retail centre reopened in August 2010, but Stockland abandoned the remaining residential stages in December 2011 as part of its broader withdrawal from the apartment sector. It instead sold 7.7 hectares of undeveloped land back to Coles. The retail centre remained Stockland's asset until Stockland announced its intention to sell it in March 2019. Newmark Capital announced in July 2019 that it had acquired the centre for a price reported to be more than $62 million. Tooronga Village is therefore best understood as a local convenience-oriented shopping and mixed-use precinct whose present identity emerged from several decades of contested planning, changing ownership and staged redevelopment, rather than as a standalone national retail chain.
History
The Tooronga retail site originated in the 1960s, and Coles had been trading there since 1968. Little major expansion occurred after the 1970s, although the adjoining former brickworks site repeatedly attracted redevelopment proposals. Hudson Conway bought that land in December 1985 for a reported $1.25 million and proposed extending the shopping centre. The concept was revised several times by 1990, with possible commercial, office and hotel uses added to the discussion. Local resistance was organised through the Tooronga Action Group, and opposition to the scale of development influenced local politics. A site-specific development zone established in 1991 permitted a more limited combination of office and retail uses. Hudson Conway did not complete the project. It sold its half-share of the shopping-centre site to Coles Myer in 1995, while Pacific Shopping Centres sold its remaining half to Coles Myer in 1997. Coles Myer had opened its head office next to the site in 1986 and considered a major retail and entertainment development in 2000, but that scheme was not implemented. Stockland agreed in 2004 to acquire the site from Coles Myer, subject to planning approval, for a reported $30 million. The proposed redevelopment combined a new shopping centre with residential and office components. Original plans contemplated 600 townhouses and apartments, later expanded to 785 apartments, together with about 4,000 square metres of offices and parking linked to the adjacent Coles head office. The Victorian State Government assumed planning control from Boroondara Council and approved the project, a move that caused concern among some local residents. The former shopping centre closed temporarily in March 2008. Construction generated minor controversy in November of that year when substantial quantities of drinking water were reportedly used to control dust. Changing economic conditions led Stockland to revise the residential concept in 2009 toward a greater number of less expensive apartments. By June 2010, the first stage was planned to include 297 apartments, with later stages potentially bringing the total to 785. The redeveloped retail centre reopened in August 2010 with Coles and 1st Choice Liquor Superstore among its anchor tenants, alongside smaller shops, cafés and restaurants. Stockland abandoned the remaining residential stages in December 2011, aligning the decision with its wider withdrawal from the apartment-development sector. The company chose to sell 7.7 hectares of undeveloped land to Coles. In late 2013, Coles sold 5.4 hectares of that vacant land to St Kevin's College for sporting facilities. The resulting facility opened on 17 June 2017 and included a range of fields and courts, although it was separate from the retail centre's core operations. In March 2019, Stockland announced its intention to sell the shopping centre. Newmark Capital announced the acquisition in July 2019, with the price reported as more than $62 million. The centre's history consequently combines suburban retailing, contested urban planning, mixed-use development and changes in the strategic priorities of successive property owners.
- 2019
Centre sold to Newmark Capital
[1]Newmark Capital announced the acquisition after Stockland placed the shopping centre on the market.
- 2017
St Kevin's College sporting facility opens
[1]A sporting complex developed on part of the former vacant land opened on 17 June.
- 2011
Remaining residential stages cancelled
[1]Stockland abandoned the unbuilt residential stages and planned to return undeveloped land to Coles.
- 2010
Redeveloped retail centre reopens
[1]The new retail component reopened in August with supermarket, liquor, food and other local retail uses.
- 2008
Original shopping centre closes for redevelopment
[1]The former shopping centre temporarily closed in March as redevelopment works commenced.
- 2004
Stockland agrees to acquire and redevelop the site
[1]Stockland agreed to purchase the site from Coles Myer, subject to planning approval, and proposed a staged mixed-use precinct.
- 1991
Site-specific development zone established
[1]A special planning zone allowed a more limited office-and-retail development after opposition to larger proposals.
- 1985
Former brickworks site acquired by Hudson Conway
[1]Hudson Conway acquired the adjoining former brickworks land and began pursuing a larger development concept.
- 1968
Coles begins trading at the site
[1]Coles was operating at the Tooronga shopping site, which had developed during the 1960s.
Products and positioning
A neighbourhood-oriented shopping and mixed-use centre serving Glen Iris and surrounding Melbourne suburbs, anchored by everyday grocery and liquor retail.
Supermarket · 1968
Coles Supermarkets
The principal grocery anchor at Tooronga Village, providing everyday supermarket shopping for the surrounding residential community. Coles has a long association with the site, dating back to 1968, and continued as an anchor after the retail centre's redevelopment.
Liquor retail
1st Choice Liquor Superstore
A liquor-retail anchor serving the centre's convenience-oriented offer. It forms part of the post-2010 retail mix alongside the supermarket, cafés, restaurants and smaller local shops.
Shopping centre · 2010
Tooronga Village retail mix
The redeveloped centre provides a neighbourhood retail environment with approximately 22 shops, cafés and restaurants. Its offer is focused on groceries, food, liquor and local services rather than destination-scale department-store retail.
Brand decisions
2019
Sale of Tooronga Village to Newmark CapitalM&ABackground
Stockland announced an intention to sell the completed shopping centre as part of its property portfolio activity.
Action taken
Newmark Capital acquired the centre.
Aftermath
Ownership passed from Stockland to Newmark Capital, while the centre continued operating as a local retail precinct.
Reported sale price. More than $62 million (2019)
2011
Stockland exits the remaining apartment stagesStrategyBackground
Economic conditions had already prompted revisions to the proposed apartment program, and Stockland was withdrawing from the apartment sector more broadly.
Action taken
Stockland abandoned the remaining residential stages and sold 7.7 hectares of undeveloped land back to Coles.
Aftermath
The completed retail centre remained, while the undeveloped land was later partly sold by Coles to St Kevin's College for sporting facilities.
2004
Stockland pursues a mixed-use redevelopmentStrategyBackground
The established shopping centre and adjacent former brickworks land had been the subject of several stalled or contested expansion proposals.
Action taken
Stockland agreed to acquire the site, subject to planning approval, and proposed a staged project combining retail, residential and office uses.
Aftermath
The plan led to redevelopment of the retail centre, but its residential scope was later reduced and ultimately discontinued.
Reported acquisition price. $30 million (2004)
Sources1 sources
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