News & Developments: Port Adelaide

[Llessur2002]

I dont mean carpark I mean a park for families to enjoy with benches, playground, let food trucks set up nearby or just a square to create an interesting entry point and meeting place.

OH! Haha cool.

Weird - I read it as car park too. A park is a much better idea...

[I Follow PAFC]

Shape up or ship out.
Mayor’s blunt ultimatum over derelict buildings.

CLEAN up your derelict buildings or sell up and get out of the Port – that’s the brutal ultimatum being handed to local landlords in the lead-up to next year’s Tour Down Under.

Mayor Gary Johanson has delivered his edict to owners of rundown buildings in the Port, telling them to renovate or put their properties on the market.

He said they had “no excuse” not to renovate, with Port Adelaide Enfield Council offering to chip in up to $4000 for improvements.

Next January’s Tour Down Under breakfast – which will herald the return of the famous cycling event to the Port for the first time in 18 years would bring huge potential to the area, he said.

“This is our opportunity to showcase the Port to the world and prove it has a strong future,” said Mr Johanson, who described many of the district’s rundown buildings as nothing more than “pigeon lofts”.

“There are burnt-out buildings on Commercial Rd that have been like that since before I became mayor (in 2006),” he said. “Surely they can board them up and put a coat of paint on them so they look presentable.”

“The demand for properties in the Port is so great now that there is no excuse for any property owner in Port Adelaide not to do something – if they say they can’t afford it then the best thing they can do is put it on the market,” the Mayor said.

“It’d be a quick sale and they’d get a fair and reasonable price.”

Port Adelaide has attracted significant investment in the past couple of years from the State Government and private developers.

Last year, the State Government unveiled a $2 billion masterplan for 1300 homes on the waterfront to be carried out by Starfish Developments and Cedar Woods.

And several heritage buildings – including the soon to reopen 1849 Port Admiral Hotel – have been restored by local owners.

Despite this, there are still large sections of the main thoroughfare on St Vincent St and Commercial Rd that remain derelict.

At its meeting last week, the council voted to spend another $50,000 to prepare for the Tour Down Under – taking its total spend for hosting the event to $165,000.

This money will be used for creating a “pre-race experience”, called Pelaton at the Port, which will feature a breakfast in the lanes of the heritage precinct.

Local sporting clubs and museums will also be asked to spruik their offerings and street performers will bring a “party feel”.

Mr Johanson said the council was doing all it could – even offering grants of up to $4000 to owners of heritage buildings to make improvements.

The onus, he said, was now on landlords to make the repairs or sell to someone who would.

North West Business Alliance president Ray Hampson backed Mr Johanson’s call and said at the very least landlords should cover their properties with banners for the Tour Down Under if they won’t paint them.

“Port Adelaide is going to be on the world stage and it is a real sore point,” Mr Hampson said.

“It is a waste with what’s happening in the Port – people should start thinking and planning ahead or they are going to miss out.”

It was announced in July that Port Adelaide would host stage one of the race on January 16, when cyclists will leave the Port and ride to Lyndoch in the Barossa Valley.

The State Government is hoping the Tour Down Under will attract one million people statewide.

It’d be a quick sale and they’d get a fair and reasonable price.
Mayor Gary Johanson

[Vee]

Thx for the article.
Looking forward to this stage of the TDU. I hope the local landlords, businesses do their best to showcase the Port to locals, Aussies and the world.
It's in my calendar, along with the Norwood stage on Fri 19.

[Mpol03]

My family own a lot of property in Port Adelaide and are working both with the council and business owners occupying our buildings, to restore the heritage feel and bring the buildings back to their former glory. I only hope others follow suit.
When I visited the Port in August, I was so surprised to see just how much it had been cleaned up.

Onwards and up!

[claybro]

Local councils really should have more powers to force buildings to be kept in a reasonable state. Having said that, the heritage "upgrade" on the Central Building on Black diamond Corner carried out a few years back really had mixed results. sure, it secured the building and made it fit for purpose, but a lot of the heritage features such as original leadlites on the shopfronts are missing. Well done to those that are really making an effort though, and doing it with sympathy to heritage features.

[Eurostar]

Keep a handful of historic buildings then demolish the rest and build modern buildings. Many people want to see nice well kept historic buildings and modern buildings not boarded up shop fronts or buildings that are falling apart.

[Norman]

Keep a handful of historic buildings then demolish the rest and build modern buildings. Many people want to see nice well kept historic buildings and modern buildings not boarded up shop fronts or buildings that are falling apart.

Which buildings do you suggest we keep and which ones should be demolished?

[Eurostar]

Keep a handful of historic buildings then demolish the rest and build modern buildings. Many people want to see nice well kept historic buildings and modern buildings not boarded up shop fronts or buildings that are falling apart.

Which buildings do you suggest we keep and which ones should be demolished?

Especially demolish the ugly ones on Commercial Road between St Vincent Street and the Port Adelaide Station. And the ugly ones on St Vincent Street between the Police Station and Jervois Bridge. Also a free shuttle bus running from Port Adelaide Station via Commercial Road, Lighthouse, Maratime Museum, Aviation Museum and National Railway Museum.

[rhino]

Eurostar, "Demolish the ugly ones" is pretty much open slather, as ugly is in the eye of the beholder - what you consider to be ugly, someone else might see as worth keeping.

[Llessur2002]

For me the abundance of heritage buildings is pretty much the main drawcard for visiting Port Adelaide. Keeping a 'handful' and replacing the rest with modern buildings would destroy the significance and uniqueness of the area and, probably, its rejuvenation.

[Goodsy]

there's plenty of room in Port Adelaide for new buildings without bulldozing any. IMO the only real demolition they should do is split the woolsheds into smaller buildings, which would probably be the last thing they'd be able to do.

[monotonehell]

For me the abundance of heritage buildings is pretty much the main drawcard for visiting Port Adelaide. Keeping a 'handful' and replacing the rest with modern buildings would destroy the significance and uniqueness of the area and, probably, its rejuvenation.

This or at least retain the facades and setback any towers so they don't affect the sightline from the street.

[Mpol03]

I'm sorry but there are a lot of old buildings (circa 60's onward) that can be demolished. The heritage buildings need to stay.

[HiTouch]

Not to sound like a NIMBY but heritage is the foundation of Port Adelaide. Take away the heritage, you take away the Port.

[Eurostar]

Buildings like this could go, they are falling apart and look ewww. Something needs to replace that hole in the ground. I remember talking to the owner of a takeaway shop in September 2016, he was forced to move out because there was little foot traffic coming into the shop, the owner talked about opening a coffee shop in Port Adelaide, I am not sure if he went ahead with it and can't say I blame him if he didn't. By all means keep the customs house, police station, hotels, town hall, Lighthouse, museum etc. But redevelop the rest with modern mixed development. Also how good would it be to have Foodland front onto Commercial Road, Coles/Kmart front onto Dale Street/Church Street.