News & Developments: Port Adelaide

[Howie]

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=56698

New marina set to improve Port River
12:41 AEST Sun Jul 31 2005
AAP

A state-of-the-art marina precinct will be constructed at Port Adelaide by the South Australian government.

Costing $21 million, the marina will help to reduce the environmental impact on the Port River using modern technologies to reduce waste from boats.

With space for more than 180 vessels, the marina will incorporate a boating and industry precinct to complement a number of other major development projects aimed at rejuvenating the Port Adelaide area.

"The new marine industry precinct will contribute to a more sustainable marine environment, while creating employment opportunities and stimulating growth and investment in the Port region," State Treasurer Kevin Foley said.

A number of other major developments are already under way in the region including the $1.2 billion Port Waterfront Redevelopment, the $120 million Outer Harbour deepening project and widespread industry development near the harbour after the State won the $6 billion Air Warfare Destroyer contract.

Australia's first-ever dolphin sanctuary was also announced in the region in May this year, providing a safe haven for more than 100 dolphins that live in the Port River.

Mr Foley said while the marina precinct was still awaiting official development approval from the government's Land Management Corporation, construction was expected to begin in early 2006.

[Port Adelaide Fan]

A VISIT to Sydney, Melbourne, Perth or Brisbane's ports and waterfronts and the signs of life are everywhere.

They're busy, vibrant docklands that became people magnets after major facelifts.

At Port Adelaide the signs are everywhere spruiking: "It's happening", yet even the optimists will admit the reality is vastly different.

TELL US: How would you revive the Port?

Port Adelaide is a far cry from its bussling heyday a century ago when ships lined up at the wharf carrying the world's finest goods and the woolstores were bursting.

Today, it will be named one of Australia's top 10 heritage places at risk by the National Trust of Australia.

The national conference of the trust, in Sydney, will list the entire Murray Darling System as its Region at Greatest Risk for the third year in a row, and include the Lower Lakes with Port Adelaide among the top 10 places at risk nationally.

The Trust says neglect and waterside re-development are endangering the Port's rich and historic heritage.

It comes as no surprise when half the shops on the main streets are dirty, empty, boarded up and even derelict.

It's not hard to find once grand old historic buildings closed for business amid the smashed windows, peeling paint, pigeon poo and constant noise of trucks rumbling through the streets.

more

[fabricator]

The rebuilding of the Port Adelaide railway station should have a small positive effect, in that people will feel like using the rail network to get to the port.

The big retail shops in the port area need to have some form of main street frontage, not be jammed down some side street. It discourages people from walking from one shop to another the way it is now.

[Hooligan]

He talks about the success of the recent Port Festival, and plans to bring the tramline start date forward, and relocating the National Motor Museum from Birdwood.

Excuse me? When are these two happening?

[Paulns]

Ask Foley, isnt Port Adelaide in his electorate??? Probably too busy like Rann living it up in the Eastern Suburbs to care about anywhere in the Port.

As for the empty shop fronts, all the really big retailers went to the West Lakes Shopping Centre now a Westfield a meare 10 minutes away, along with the shoppers and people that once helped to make the Port feel vibrant.

[The Scooter Guy]

Indeed, Port Adelaide is financially troubled! Bad things have happened in the past years including the tragic fire of the Confi-Bar, which spread towards Vinnies & Porthole Records, which is now being restored! The Port Admiral Hotel was shuttered up too, because of asbestos and possibly arsenic.
Some of the backstreets have junkyards! I wish I saw images of Port Adelaide during the 70s & 80s!
Derelict shops include meat & fruit markets, snack bars, hair salons and furniture stores! The railway museum needs a facelift too!

[omada]

I hope it keeps that derelict, f*cked up vibe, that's what I love about the Port, I love it so much I can't remember the last time I went down there!! Keep it going Port!!!! yaaayyy

[baytram366]

Is it possible for the Port to be turned into a complete residential set up? - eg, still keep the pubs and small one off stores but convert all the rest to apartments and such? Or is this just a stupid idea...

[The Scooter Guy]

What if the Port had heavy truck prohibition ordinances? That might stop all the noise complaints!
Maybe we could call the professionals to remove the asbestos & arsenic inside the walls & roofs!
The Port mall sure is dying!

[Straze]

Gday members of this forum, i am a local from the outer northern Adelaide suburb of Elizabeth. I remember when i was much younger going down to Port Adelaide with my family on a Sunday, even now that i am much older i still on a regular basis travel to the Port either to look at the shops or explore the National Railway Museum, i like that historic feel yet with the shops on Commercial Road boarded up it doesnt always feel the way it use to be anymore, its kind of uninviting.

[fabricator]

Maybe we should import a group of Developers from Melbourne, they sure did wonders with old warehouses in their city.

[stumpjumper]

Sadly, there is no will on the part of those who can make a difference to fix the Port.

The Port Adelaide Enfield Council is dominated by the ALP which puts DefenceSA and the road freight industry ahead of anything else.

In the Port, LMC (effectively the vehicle by which the power elite of the SA ALP plays property developer at taxpayers' risk) is moving closer to DefenceSA (the same elite's attempt to become a world player in the international armaments game in something like the way that the State Bank sought to become a world force in banking).

As a result, the Port is being planned to optimise advantage for the dream of shipbuilding with its transport needs rather than being planned to create a cultural destination to advantage the local and South Australian communities.

It would need imagination, will and some investment to fix the present mess.

We're stuck with the infrastructure developed so far on the Le Fevre Peninsula. If the Pelican Point power station, the new docks and slipways and the other developments had been on the mainland (to the east), there would have been no need for the third river crossing. The peninsula could have been developed for housing and the other heavy industries could have been closed over time (as they have been anyway - Osborne Power Station; ICI Sulphuric Acid Works etc).

The maritime businesses of the Port could have been assisted, instead of demolished. The Maritime College could have been augmented by a temperate fisheries centre, boat construction, and so on.

Some 'seed' or catalyst attractions could have been installed with government help - an Oberon class submarine, a guided missile frigate, the 'City of Adelaide' sailing ship etc.

Political will - that's what it boils down to. In SA, where there is no voice against the powerful, long-term government from business, tourism, heritage or local government, the available political will is directed at winning and holding marginal seats, and building iconic business structures in the time-honoured fashion of powerful governments.

The silencing of dissent, as a matter of interest, has been one of the Rann government's major achievements. Rann has colonised government departments, local government and statutory bodies with people who can be trusted to toe the government line. Rann solicits donations from private business, effectively offering concessions for payment. This compromises all parties.

Nothing is going to happen soon, sadly. My last contact with Mr Foley's office concluded with the statement that:

'"The Port is only a tiny part of the state and the government's interests. Compared with the success of DefenceSA, if the old Port is a bit quiet, it doesn't really matter."

[Queen Anne]

I think it would be fair to say that SA doesn't have a monopoly on poor decision making by government and developers.

Since I've been in the US I've become interested in the efforts of local communities to improve their areas. There is plenty of bad planning in the US, just like anywhere else - but there is also a tremendous energy amongst many local communities to make a positive difference in the face of bad top-down planning.

I won't go on about America here in this thread, but I do want to say that it is very important that we don't throw up our hands and give up on places like the Port. It's impressive what ordinary people's efforts can do to revive a place - examples are out there.

I just re-read the article at the top of this thread where someone said "We need to be patient". I disagree with this. I think we are far too patient in SA, forever sitting and waiting for Gov and developers to make big changes which will fix our problems in one fell-swoop. We seem fatalistic about it, accepting that we have no power and no say.

I think it's time for a different approach. I've seen and read of several examples of citizen-lead revitalisation of places here in the US. Sometimes it happens in some form of partnership with government, and sometimes it happens despite government. How great it would be to see many ordinary people getting involved in smaller projects around the Port that show and prove that people care and that things are changing for the better - providing momentum for further change. Any number of projects could be thought up, along with imaginative ways of funding them. We need energy, lateral thinking, commitment and a "never say die" attitude. We seriously need to get over the idea that we ordinary people can't make a difference

[jk1237]

politics has little to do with how Port Adelaide is. Its purely economics. The first decline of Port Adelaide is when a deep level port were built at Outer Harb for the new large container ships (which happened all over the world) in the 1950s. This resulted in a loss of wharfy jobs in the heart of the Port. The 2nd decline was when Arndale Shopping Centre and then later West Lakes Mall was built, completely killing off the retail in the Port. The 3rd, to a lesser extent was economic restructuring of the 1980s and even now, where there has been a loss of manufacturing jobs in the Port. Most other waterfront renewals around the world have a massive advantage over Port Adelaide, in that they are close or right next to the CBD, ie Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. Its not hard to attract investment and new residents in med density living when your so close to the city. Fremantle is similar to how our Port is, but Fremantle didnt suffer as bad from retail decimation, and Fremantle was far more gentrified that the Port, even when gentrification started. Also it never suffered from the loss of port activities as its deep sea terminal is still located there. The loss of historic buildings in Freo was no where near as bad as Port Adelaide, prob cas the Port had many factories that have been torn down, and all we got to replace them was a big k-mart. Put simply Port Adelaide hasn't been delt a great deck of cards which is why it was left in such a bad, neglected state, compared to other old port city/suburbs

There is no easy way to get Port Adelaide out of its rot, but my answer is residents, lots of residents which is why Ive never objected to the newport quays development. I dont think they could have done it any other way. The reason why the next stage has stalled is caus of the global downturn and thats about it

[SRW]

I think it would be fair to say that SA doesn't have a monopoly on poor decision making by government and developers.

Since I've been in the US I've become interested in the efforts of local communities to improve their areas. There is plenty of bad planning in the US, just like anywhere else - but there is also a tremendous energy amongst many local communities to make a positive difference in the face of bad top-down planning.

I won't go on about America here in this thread, but I do want to say that it is very important that we don't throw up our hands and give up on places like the Port. It's impressive what ordinary people's efforts can do to revive a place - examples are out there.

I just re-read the article at the top of this thread where someone said "We need to be patient". I disagree with this. I think we are far too patient in SA, forever sitting and waiting for Gov and developers to make big changes which will fix our problems in one fell-swoop. We seem fatalistic about it, accepting that we have no power and no say.

I think it's time for a different approach. I've seen and read of several examples of citizen-lead revitalisation of places here in the US. Sometimes it happens in some form of partnership with government, and sometimes it happens despite government. How great it would be to see many ordinary people getting involved in smaller projects around the Port that show and prove that people care and that things are changing for the better - providing momentum for further change. Any number of projects could be thought up, along with imaginative ways of funding them. We need energy, lateral thinking, commitment and a "never say die" attitude. We seriously need to get over the idea that we ordinary people can't make a difference

I agree, although there's a problem of motivation. It's unfortunate, but it's probably fair to say that a concern for the fate of the Port is largely limited to those who live there, have lived there, or have some other nostalgic connection to it. The way forward? Much like you suggest, I tend to think -- it has to be ground-up and community-driven.

I'm reminded of an article a read in the last week or so about how Berlin was rejuvenated following reunification. The plentiful vacant and often derelict buildings were a perfect opportunity for entrepreneurial artists, who set up shop and soon drew fellow creative types from around the world. I'm not suggesting the same for the Port, as obviously they're very different places (and Berlin has always been sexy). But maybe the vacant and presumably low-rent shops at the Port present a similar opportunity for the Port to get its cool back? I notice that the Port Festival and (I think) recent UniSA 'design a shop-front' competition are a step in this direction.

Of course, then the challenge is that once these spaces become draw-cards, and the development industry sniffs at the opportunity, that the people who are newly invested in the Port demand that its charm is retained. One can think of many gentrifications or urban renewals that have taken the soul of a creative precinct and smothered it with blandness. But hopefully there are just as many examples where the lessons of those experiences have been learnt.