[COM] [The Precinct] Central Bus Station

[Dave_The_Planner]

Nope, hasn't opened yet.

[SRW]

Any word on when this will open now?

[Diamond]

A sign on the bus station window (near the Grote Street carpark lift) says early January.

[SRW]

A sign on the bus station window (near the Grote Street carpark lift) says early January.

Ta!

[Ben]

Wonder what this consists of:

Type: Development Application Received
Application Number: DA/1057/2007
Lodgement Date: 24/12/2007
Location: ADELAIDE CENTRAL BUS STATION, 85-107 Franklin Street, ADELAIDE SA 5000
Description: Install LED artwork

[Howie]

That sounds promising!

[aussie2000]

on ten or seven news tonight there was a story about the bus station, and they said that there would be an expansion and more toilets built around the time of opening

[Brando]

MICHAEL OWEN, POLITICAL REPORTER
February 15, 2008 12:20am

A $6 MILLION complex for the homeless is all but empty because social workers are still searching for the "right mix" of tenants.

COMPLEX There are just four residents in the 37-unit Common Ground project in Franklin St, above Adelaide's new bus station, leaving vacant 33 fully-furnished studio and one-bedroom apartments.
This is despite a promise by Premier Mike Rann in November last year that "homeless people would move in within weeks".

Common Ground chairman, developer Theo Maras, yesterday said the four tenants moved in on February 1, attributing the delay to "technical" building problems which have since been fixed, and the need for "a mix of tenants" to avoid "a social disaster".

Housing Minister Jay Weatherill yesterday said delays were unavoidable because the concept was an Australian first and it was "important to take care in getting it right".

However, Opposition housing spokeswoman Vickie Chapman said the Government only wanted "designer homeless" people in the complex.

Mr Maras said while tenants would include some homeless people, most would be university students and artists, or those earning less than $20,000 a year.

Rent is subsidised and tenants pay 30 per cent of their income. Depending on individual circumstances, they pay between $70 and $100 a week.

It was important for the project to have the "right mix" of tenants so it did not turn into a ghetto, he said.

"Common Ground is very keen to have a mix of people, so we don't create a social disaster," Mr Maras said.

"We have got homeless people there but we pick those who we believe we can rehabilitate.

"Now in some cases we won't be able to – but there is in-house support that will be there to guide, help and make sure we can get them through to the next step."

The scheme was inspired by former Thinker in Residence Rosanne Haggerty, who founded the Common Ground project and persuaded New York City to turn a historic Times Square building into housing for 652 homeless people.

The State Government has pledged more than $6 million for the Franklin St facility and another $5 million to a new complex in Light Square, where the former Sands and McDougall building will be converted into 60 units for homeless and low-income people.

Mr Maras yesterday said that was on track to be completed by the end of the year. He said the total cost of both projects was about $18 million, with government funding of about $11.2 million and private enterprise contributing the rest.

The first Franklin St tenants had not moved in until this month because of technical problems with emergency evacuation systems and electronic keys, which have since been fixed, he said.

The facility was still not fully occupied because project staff were yet to find "appropriate candidates" to move in.

Mr Maras hoped to have full occupancy in about four to five weeks. "Within a month we'll have the right mix and we'll have people into the place and we'll be in full swing," he said.

In a November 16 government media release titled "Home for Christmas", Mr Rann said homeless people would be living in the Franklin St units "in the next few weeks".

In the release, the Premier hailed the project, developed as a partnership between government and business, as a "spirited new phase in the fight against the scourge of homelessness".

Ms Chapman yesterday said the process of selecting tenants made a mockery of Mr Rann's claims the project would fight homelessness.

"The Government always said this project was for the most needy, which we pointed out would require a massive amount of support," she said.

"So now they're looking for the `designer homeless'. In the meantime, we still have thousands of people out there on the streets with complex needs."

But Mr Weatherill, in an emailed statement yesterday, said the project aimed to "provide a home and not mere shelter".

"To take cheap shots at its early days of operating shows the mean-spirited nature of the Opposition," he said.

"They've never wanted to get on board and can't get over the fact that private enterprise wants to work with this Government to fight homelessness."

One of the Franklin St residents, Larry Downey, 53, yesterday said while items such as curtains and airconditioning were yet to be delivered, having a place to call home was an important step in getting his life back on track.

Mr Downey, a pensioner, had been homeless for more than three years after his marriage fell apart.

"It's unreal," he said. "It's helped me get some of my self-respect back and now everything is changing."

For goodness sake, the Tiser and Vickie Chapman should be ashamed at this pathetic attempt to attack the government. This is a worthwhile initiative and should be commended for it's efforts. Due to the various nature of being homeless, it would be completely inappropriate to just say 'we pick you, you, you and he can go in too....'. Everyone has a history and different circumstances that need to be attended to.
No doubt they will learn from this and the next project in Light Sq should be more effecient, but come on let them do their job, delays have occured and i'm sure they are doing everything they can to give these Men and Women a new start for the future.

[UrbanSG]

The official opening for the bus terminal is the 29th of March according to the ACC website.

[crawf]

Had a look at this early sunday morning. And it looks much better inside now with the signage, screens etc...

[Omicron]

Had a look at this early sunday morning. And it looks much better inside now with the signage, screens etc...

Early Sunday morning, as in stumbling past at 5am, bleary-eyed, in search of Hungry Jacks and a taxi home?

[Wayno]

Had a look at this early sunday morning. And it looks much better inside now with the signage, screens etc...

Early Sunday morning, as in stumbling past at 5am, bleary-eyed, in search of Hungry Jacks and a taxi home?

wow - i just experienced online deja vu!

[Omicron]

Had a look at this early sunday morning. And it looks much better inside now with the signage, screens etc...

Early Sunday morning, as in stumbling past at 5am, bleary-eyed, in search of Hungry Jacks and a taxi home?

wow - i just experienced online deja vu!

You didn't see me go past, by chance? I'm still trying to work out how my night ended.

[crawf]

Hehe I wasn't to bad early yesterday morning (compared to last weekend). Though I remember trying to work out why there were so many people there at 6:30am lol.

[drsmith]

I had the pleasure of going through the new bus terminal at the conclusion of a bus trip from Yorke Peninsula on it's first day of operation, yesterday.

It is very much an improvement on the building that was demolished prior to this facility being constructed on that site. I remember many times in the 80's how much of a pain it was to try an open that stiff door (carring luggage) at the back of the ticket purchase area to get to the wind swept bus boarding area out the back. The bus parking area being under the units above is now much better protected from the elements.

The first dissapointment was that the luggage storage lockers were not yet operational and the lockers in the old terminal building on the other side of the taxi rank were no longer in use. I had a suitcase I wanted to store for a couple of hours but a reasonable compromise was reached after a 15 or so minute debate with a building manager (and it was a much more secure storage option than his first suggestion of leaving the suitcase on top of the lockers at my own risk).

The second problem which is much more significant is the cheap plastic seating adjacent to the front counter. The seats are placed in rows of two, back to back with the back rests about half back height with almost no gap between the tops of the back rests. When seated in one of these 'Cheap As Chips' rejects, the seat actually sinks down a little and the top of the backrest from the seat behind digs into the middle of your back. Sitting heavily in one of these could be very nasty indeed.

One final point (more of a question actually).
Is there anyehere in the new terminal to get a bite to eat or drink ?