Historic Unley factory to become residential development

A rare former factory in Adelaide’s Unley is set for a new chapter, with approval granted for an eight-storey residential development that will incorporate and preserve significant elements of the site’s industrial heritage.

The State Commission Assessment Panel has approved plans by Minuzzo Project Management to adapt the former Penny’s Knitting Mills building on Greenhill Road, a locally heritage-listed structure dating to 1906.

GALLERY  

Once home to a manufacturer of woollen cardigans and jumpers, the sawtooth-roofed factory is one of the area’s remaining reminders of Unley’s industrial past. The building was converted to offices during the 1980s, but the latest proposal will return the prominent site to a more community-focused use through new housing.

The development was initially proposed to involve dismantling and reconstructing the entire facade to accommodate the new residential building. Following objections, Minuzzo commissioned an updated heritage assessment that reduced the extent of demolition and confirmed the revised scheme’s consistency with heritage requirements.

The approved design will retain the building’s prominent sawtooth roof and parapet, while preserving its northern and western facades.

“The development retains the prominent sawtooth and parapet and has been carefully arranged and articulated to maintain the setting of the local heritage place to its primary frontage,” the updated heritage report states.

The assessment also found that retaining the northern and western facades would preserve features demonstrating the heritage values of the site and maintain the legibility of the former factory.

Designed by Aplin Cook Gardener, the residential project will deliver 32 apartments across eight storeys, comprising 16 three-bedroom, 14 two-bedroom and two one-bedroom homes. Two three-level townhouses are also proposed across the 1550 square metre site.

Rather than treating the heritage building as simply a remnant of the site’s industrial past, the project integrates its retained elements into a substantially new residential development. A 140 square metre communal area will provide residents with shared amenities including a pool room and wine room.

The development will also increase the site’s parking provision from the existing 16 spaces to 23 ground-level spaces and 36 basement spaces. Residents will have access to eight bicycle spaces within the basement, with a further four visitor spaces provided externally.

The redevelopment comes as established Adelaide suburbs continue to accommodate increased residential density while balancing growth with the protection of significant buildings and streetscapes.

Penny’s Knitting Mills closed in 1982 after changes to tariffs during the 1970s contributed to difficulties for Australia’s wool-based manufacturing industries. Its former factory has since remained as a tangible connection to a period when industrial activity formed a more prominent part of Unley’s identity.

The approved project provides an opportunity to retain that connection while giving the site a new role as housing. By preserving key heritage elements rather than removing the former factory entirely, the development demonstrates how adaptive reuse and new residential construction can work together within an established urban neighbourhood.

Images via The Urban Developer

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