Pelligra appeals rejection of 21-storey Rundle Street apartment tower
The developer behind plans for a luxury 21-storey tower in Rundle St has gone to court over the proposal’s rejection.
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The developer behind plans for a 21-storey luxury apartment tower on Rundle St is awaiting the outcome of its appeal against the state planning authority’s rejection of the project.
Pelligra Group had its development proposal knocked back by the State Commission Assessment Panel (SCAP) in April on grounds it was too high for the location and would have a negative impact on the heritage character of nearby buildings.
A mix of luxury apartments, office space and carparking was planned for the tower, above the San Churro dessert cafe on the corner of Rundle St and East Tce.
Pelligra was promising to refurbish the street-level heritage buildings currently standing at the site.
However in its decision earlier this year, SCAP said Pelligra’s proposal “negatively impacts on the low-scale settings of existing heritage places”, and displayed “excessive mass and scale considered likely to diminish the value of SHPs (state heritage places) in the locality”.
Pelligra’s bid to exceed the site’s 53m-height limit guideline with its 68m-high proposal was also rejected, because “it does not provide a notable positive contribution to the character of the local area or provide for substantial additional gain in sustainability”.
The decision came despite government planning officer Ben Scholes recommending it be approved, and a similar proposal for the site winning the support of planning authorities in 2017.
Pelligra has appealed SCAP’s decision in the Environment, Resources and Development (ERD) Court, which heard the matter earlier this month.
Pelligra SA director Steve Wren declined to comment on the matter pending the outcome of the appeal.
However Labor member for Adelaide Lucy Hood expressed concern about Pelligra’s appeal in parliament on Thursday, underlining the “extreme mass and scale of the proposed building, its lack of affordable housing and the four levels of carparking”.
“Despite the SCAP’s comprehensive reasons for rejecting the proposed development, the developer has appealed the decision and it is now a matter for the ERD Court,” she said.
“As a community, we are left to await the outcome.
“For such an important area of our CBD, it is critical that any development should be sustainable and well designed, positively contributing to the vibrancy and heritage character of this precinct and to the city’s liveability, rather than impose itself on this precinct and its residents at any cost.”
Pelligra’s design included four levels of carparking, one level of office space and 15 storeys of residential space, including 26 three-bedroom apartments and one penthouse across two floors.
The company paid $12.25m to take over the 1350sq m corner site in 2021.
Singapore-based financier Mark Ebbinghaus and Adelaide developer Stephen Connor previously attempted to develop a 20-storey apartment tower – known as Monument – on the site but it failed to get off the ground due to insufficient sales.
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