News & Developments: Glenelg

[Omicron]

To be fair to Wallis, if enough people went to the Glenelg cinema in the first place and were willing to pay enough money, we wouldn't be in this position in the first place. The simple fact is that more people wanted to go to (newer, more convenient, larger) Marion, and I'd hazard a guess that the money required to upgrade it to a competitive standard simply could not have been absorbed into reasonable ticket prices without any other compensating revenue. Auchendarroch at Mt. Barker got away with it, and I'd suggest a lot of that has to do with the things it offers beyond films - meals, alcohol, gambling etc. I for one would not like to be in Wallis' position trying to negotiate an expanded liquor licence or trading hours with the Holdfast Bay council, let alone a gambling/pokie licence.

[cruel_world00]

To be fair to Wallis, if enough people went to the Glenelg cinema in the first place and were willing to pay enough money, we wouldn't be in this position in the first place. The simple fact is that more people wanted to go to (newer, more convenient, larger) Marion, and I'd hazard a guess that the money required to upgrade it to a competitive standard simply could not have been absorbed into reasonable ticket prices without any other compensating revenue. Auchendarroch at Mt. Barker got away with it, and I'd suggest a lot of that has to do with the things it offers beyond films - meals, alcohol, gambling etc. I for one would not like to be in Wallis' position trying to negotiate an expanded liquor licence or trading hours with the Holdfast Bay council, let alone a gambling/pokie licence.

It's one thing to shut a cinema down, but surely there are ways to utilise the space as is rather than knocking it down and putting in a generic shopping mall that will result in the loss of the cinema (architecture) and suck more of the life out of existing shops at the bay...??

[Pants]

^ What he said.

[AtD]

Am I the only one indifferent to the demolition?

[Pikey]

Am I the only one indifferent to the demolition?

No your not mate, there are plenty of other buildings that have been demolished that deserve greater outcry than this.

In my opinion, this is no great loss.

[Thanial]

Adelaide seems to like poorly restoring old buildings, for once a restoration would have looked good and instead they give us this

[fabricator]

I'm sure a theatre group or training company would have loved to have this old cinema just the way is was, inside and out. The interiour was unique, most have had that redone or damaged, but not this one untill now.

Trash a perfectly nice and structuraly sound building for no particular reason at all. I don't count money as a good reason.

I have fond memories of this cinema, when my school group was watching a movie and laughing. When the power went out and the usher's torches illuminated the food flying around. Took 4 hours to clean up apparently, there was icecream halfway up the screen.

Stupid council down there are so pro development it cripples their ability to plan anything.

[pushbutton]

I'm not going to criticise any SA council for being pro-development. The problem Adelaide generally has is anti-development councils so if that's being overcome I can only celebrate it. However I agree there is a place for heritage and the Glenelg cinemas belong in that place. However the building was never heritage listed so it's not really the councils place to step in and save it. It should have been heritage listed long ago, as should Harris Scarfe in Rundle Mall.

It's too late for these buildings now but maybe it will prompt people to push ahead with getting other deserving heritage buildings listed before it's too late for them too.

Since this proposal is right next to the new Bay Junction or whatever it's now called, are they going to try to at least link the two together so it becomes one bigger mall instead of two tiny ones?

[Will]

The Holdfast Bay council is probably the most anti-development local council in Adelaide. In fact it was clearly elected on an anti-development platform.

[AtD]

Holdfast Bay is pro development? You're dreaming. They refused to approve this project. The developer took them to court and won. The court found Council's rejection wasn't consistent with Holdfast Bay's own development plan and as the site has no heritage listing, approved the project. I'd hate to think how much that battle cost ratepayers.

If that's pro development then what does being anti-development look like?

[crawf]

This is how pathetic Holdfast Bay Council are..
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/holdfast- ... 6077660380

It's high time the council merged with Marion or West Torrens

[pushbutton]

Wasting $15,000 of ratepayer hard-earned money fighting a slightly bigger shed worth $600?

That council is clearly incompetent, to say the very least!

[Benski81]

Face-palm, wow that's lame.

Ok here's a crazy idea, if the council really is that belligerent how about they just give the family back their $600 and ask them to replace the "offensively large shed" with a new one equal in size to the original. Save everyone involved a lot of time and money apparently.

Yes getting a grip remains the better option though.

[fabricator]

Its the Council's responsibility to heritage list buildings, others can request it be done, but at the end of the day its still the council that have to act.

So they can let the developers do whatever they want by simply doing nothing. Say things like "Oh but if we heritage listed it, that would prevent it being used for its current purpose, as any changes/major repair work would cost too much".

Simple rule here in Adelaide, don't tell anyone what you plan to do to heritage buildings, untill after you've demolished or just made it not worth saving anymore. Found some priceless crystal cave in your sand quarry ? Not sure you want to make more money from tourists than selling sand products ? Just blow it up and claim it was structually unsound anyway.

[Will]

From the Messenger:

Glenelg cinema demolition a "travesty": Maras

Local News11 Jul 11 @ 09:22am



Glenelg cinema. Pic: Courtesy Save the Glenelg cinema group.


LEADING Adelaide property developer Steve Maras has labelled the planned demolition of the Glenelg Cinema a “travesty of justice and a severe blight on Glenelg’s wonderful history”.

Mr Maras, who is managing director of the Maras Group and an art deco architecture enthusiast, expressed his views on guardianmessenger.com.au on-line site about the detrimental loss of this building and that greater efforts should have been made to “reinvent” it.

“This building, it’s facade, it’s internal staircase, represents an extremely important part of our State’s history, Jetty Road’s heritage and cinema culture in Adelaide,” Mr Maras said.

“We’re never going to get another facade like that, people don’t build facades like that. When it goes, that’s the end of it.

“There’s plenty of examples around the country where cinema buildings like this one have been reborn and given new leases of life.”

Mr Maras also is outspoken about the social and economic impact this will have on Jetty Road.

“The critical survival of our main street is offering passive entertainment uses like cinemas,” Mr Maras said.

“A trend you’re going to see more and more of is the movement back to our main streets, which is the lifeblood of our communities.”

“When you tear out a cinema from a main street, you’re cutting down that mix of what brings people to those main streets.”

Jetty Rd Mainstreet Committee chairman Bruce Grindlay said locals were sad to lose such a Glenelg icon.

“There was a faint hope that it would be revived and it would add to the life of the street,” Mr Grindlay said.

“It’s always good to have a theatre in the street as a destination and it would have meant some good trade for perhaps restaurants and other eating places at that end of jetty road and even down the beach end as well.”