News & Discussion: Other Metropolitan Developments

[Dvious]

Housing at the rear, can you read? Stop jumping to conclusions.

[Nathan]

Housing at the rear, can you read? Stop jumping to conclusions.

Yes, I can read. But really, a Woolworths on Anzac Highway, on a site that already has a substantial open air carpark up to the street. You know exactly what the result will be. (Hint: the big two supermarket chains aren't exactly known for their stunning contributions to the built environment.)

[crawf]

Housing at the rear, can you read? Stop jumping to conclusions.

Yeah probably this. The housing should be on top, not at the rear anyway.

Also I'd be sad to see LeCornu go.

[SRW]

Fairly vague rumour... Would Lecornu be staying on site, moving or shutting down? Doesn't part of their structure date to the wartime as an armaments factory, possibly heritage? Whatever the case, the land adjacent to AHwy devoted to car parking deserves a more productive (and aesthetic) use.

Housing at the rear, can you read? Stop jumping to conclusions.

That's a bit unfriendly given we're all speculating -- it's a rumour.

[[Shuz]]

A friend of mine who works at LeCornu has hinted on several occasions that the store will close soon.

I think its a matter of when, not if.

[Nathan]

Doesn't part of their structure date to the wartime as an armaments factory, possibly heritage?

During WW2, yes. Before and after that, car manufacturing (notably as the Chrysler factory, until their move to Tonsley. There's still Chrysler signage on one of the buildings on Maple Ave).

http://www.weekendnotes.com/le-cornus-showroom/

It's also not really Le Cornu anymore. It's Fantastic Furniture, trading as Le Cornu (they were bought out in 2008).

[Torrens_5022]

It's also not really Le Cornu anymore. It's Fantastic Furniture, trading as Le Cornu (they were bought out in 2008).

Interesting, there's no Fantastic furniture in the Mile End homemaker centre - maybe they will open one there or a maybe a "Le Cornu" branded store?

[Patrick_27]

It would be interesting to see how they could incorporate the heritage components of this site into apartments.

I wouldn't be surprised if Woolies has purchased this site, might have something to do with the fact that they haven't been able to come up with anything that benefits them on the Highway Hotel site, this site would be much larger and would allow for a bigger development.

[SRW]

I hope it doesn't end up being a Masters...

[Brucetiki]

Doesn't part of their structure date to the wartime as an armaments factory, possibly heritage?

During WW2, yes. Before and after that, car manufacturing (notably as the Chrysler factory, until their move to Tonsley. There's still Chrysler signage on one of the buildings on Maple Ave).

http://www.weekendnotes.com/le-cornus-showroom/

It's also not really Le Cornu anymore. It's Fantastic Furniture, trading as Le Cornu (they were bought out in 2008).

Fantastic Furniture also own the Australian rights to Ashley furniture (a US based company - some of their most drab furniture has appeared on the US version of The Price is Right). They seem to have positioned Ashley as their upmarket division, Le Cornu as their mid range division, and Fantastic as their budget division. I can also see Le Cornu being swallowed up by the Ashley brand (Ashley already takes up a significant part of Le Cornu), hence the rumours surrounding the store's closure.

[crawf]

Officially on the market.

The Advertiser

Lance’s Le Cornu legacy up for sale: Prominent Anzac Highway furniture warehouse officially on market


THE Le Cornu family is selling one of Adelaide’s most prominent properties — the Le Cornu furniture warehouse on Anzac Highway.

It’s tipped the 3.5ha Keswick property, in the family’s hands since 1970, could sell for more than $20 million.

In the long-term it is likely the land will be redeveloped for housing after the current lease to Fantastic Furniture ends in 2022.

Phil Le Cornu, a director of Le Cornu Contractors Pty Ltd, flagged the potential sale in June.

It will help settle the estate of the family’s patriarch, Lance Le Cornu, who died in 2013.

An ad posted by agents CBRE and JLL says the 35,965sq m property is “one of the largest inner metropolitan redevelopment/regeneration sites available in Adelaide” and has “enormous future development potential with introduction of proposed major planning amendments”.

The sale is through expressions of interest, closing on October 8.

The State Government announced the second stage of its inner metropolitan growth project, including plans to allow buildings up to 10 storeys in and around the Le Cornu site.

It is currently zoned light industrial.

Fantastic Furniture bought the Le Cornu furniture business in 2008.

It has a lease on the property until 2022.

The Le Cornus sold another, 7500sq m property at 29 Anzac Highway, Keswick, to the Shahin family for $6 million in March.

They sold the site of their first store — in O’Connell St, North Adelaide — in 1989.

[Wayno]

This could become quite a special redevelopment. Near 2 train stations, short bus trip to the city, near the Wayville farmers market, adjacent to hospital, etc. Would be fantastic if somehow the larger area between Leader St and Keswick Creek was compulsorily acquired and developed, maybe even a southern chunk of the barracks.

[claybro]

This could become quite a special redevelopment. Near 2 train stations, short bus trip to the city, near the Wayville farmers market, adjacent to hospital, etc. Would be fantastic if somehow the larger area between Leader St and Keswick Creek was compulsorily acquired and developed, maybe even a southern chunk of the barracks.

This would surely end up a large multi level retirement village, given what has sprung up next to Ashford Hospital across the road. Hope not though...retirement villages don't exactly create lively areas.

[Wayno]

This would surely end up a large multi level retirement village, given what has sprung up next to Ashford Hospital across the road. Hope not though...retirement villages don't exactly create lively areas.

Yeah, I was thinking the same, but trying to mentally will the universe in another direction...

[Patrick_27]

A few years ago, I recall plans to close Keswick Barrack and merge it into other suburban barracks. With that in mind, I can definitely see the government acquiring the LeCornu site and working with the Department of Defence to acquire the barracks to create a Bowden style development on this side of the city, capitalising on the new Wayville Train Station.