Pelligra Group takes over stalled Emperor Living development

A new developer is planning to revive a $55m project in Mawson Lakes, which ground to a halt close to four years ago amid an investigation into its builder.

Work on a controversial $55 million development in Mawson Lakes is set to resume in the new year after grinding to a halt close to four years ago.

Melbourne-based property developer Pelligra Group is promising to breathe new life into the project – known as Emperor Living – by partnering with former developer Barbaro Builders and Developers to complete the project.

Barbaro suspended construction at the site, opposite the Quest hotel on the corner of Main St and Metro Parade, in April 2018 amid a Consumer and Business Services (CBS) investigation into concerns the company was acting outside of its licence conditions.

It had completed two-to-three levels of structural work before abandoning the site and leaving an eyesore on one of the major gateways into Mawson Lakes.

The original plan for the Emperor Living project in Mawson Lakes. Picture: Supplied by Pelligra Group

The original plans included an eight-storey building with nine retail shops, six offices and 63 apartments. It was set to become the tallest building in Adelaide’s northern suburbs.

Pelligra Group chairman Ross Pelligra said there would be some changes to the design, which would lift its end value from $30 million to $55 million, and his company would retain ownership of the project once completed.

“We’ve decided to join forces with them to finish it off,” he said.

“It’s been sitting there incomplete for the last four years or so. We’re going to give it a bit of a jazz up and modernise it – we’ll make a few planning amendments and freshen it up.

“We’re going to complete the vision. It’s going to be the tallest building in that area, it’s going to be a landmark.”

The Emperor Living project has been plagued by delays, the licensing investigation and a separate legal dispute with a major contractor.

In 2019, after the project was shelved, Barbaro was hit with a $1.262 million legal claim from SA Formwork, which was seeking payment of $1.168m in material hire fees and $94,200 for building work on the project. The matter was settled out of court.

The abandoned Emperor Living apartment development on the corner of Main Street and Metro Parade.

Meanwhile a CBS spokesman confirmed Barbaro Builders company director Francesco Barbaro, who is licensed for residential building work up to four storeys, was issued with a written warning following the licensing investigation.

Investors who had purchased apartments in the project were refunded their deposits after work came to a standstill, but Mr Pelligra is confident of securing strong interest once a new sales campaign is launched.

He hopes to recommence building work early in the new year, with construction expected to take a year to complete.

“I’d been looking in that pocket of the city to see if there was any opportunity and the opportunity found itself,” Mr Pelligra said.

“The university is nearby, it’s a growing area – it’s one of those great areas that’s been well planned and this is part of that plan and the vision of the council. I want to deliver on that outcome.”

Mr Pelligra has been on a property buying spree in Adelaide since acquiring the former Holden factory in Elizabeth in 2017. He also owns the Adelaide Giants and last week agreed to take over an apartment project known as Monument in Adelaide’s east end.