Adelaide City Council to rip out Bank St’s parklets as it’s become a haven for drunks and yobbos

AN eyesore in the heart of a popular city entertainment strip that has become a haven for drunks, yobbos, vagrants and piles of rubbish will be ripped out by the Adelaide City Council.

8/10/14 - Luke Koumi pictured on Bank Street. He warned that the parklets would be used as toilets and sleeping quarters.- Pic Naomi Jellicoe

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AN eyesore in the heart of a popular city entertainment strip that has become a haven for drunks, yobbos, vagrants and piles of rubbish will be ripped out by the Adelaide City Council.

The wooden benches — known as parklets — were installed on Bank St about two years ago as part of a $1 million upgrade but frequently overflow with litter from revellers using them to eat take­aways and drink alcohol.

Luke Koumi, who owns a building on the narrow one-way street linking Hindley St and North Tce, has labelled the area “a dog’s breakfast”.

Thousands of people file past the parklets each week, heading to Adelaide Casino, Adelaide Railway Station or the Adelaide Oval.

It also funnels huge numbers of patrons to the popular Leigh St cafes and the Gouger St restaurant strip in the south of the CBD.

Restaurateur Raffaele Simeone, of the long-established Parlamento Italian Bistro, at the corner of Bank St and North Tce, said removing the parklets was well overdue.

“It really needs (a redesign), they should be removed,’’ he said. “We vetoed them from the beginning during the (initial) consultation period but it didn’t matter, we didn’t have a choice.

“The experiment has gone wrong and I’ll be glad to see the back of it.’’

The council has committed $200,000 to remove the parklets and “redesign and reinvigorate” the street with new furniture and trees, in consultation with the traders, police, the State Government and the community.

Lord Mayor Martin Haese said the demands on smaller streets and laneways, such as Bank St, had grown enormously in recent years so the streetscape must be changed to meet the city’s needs.

“Bank St plays an important role as an arrival point and a key link into the heart of the city,’’ he said. “Council (will) redesign to reinvigorate the streetscape and permanently integrate trees and furniture, creating a public space that is safe and works well for everyone.’’

The council would learn from the mistakes at the Bank St Parklet Demonstration Project and other laneway trials then integrate the best ideas into a new design for Bank St, Mr Haese said.

“Council is looking forward to the street’s permanent revitalisation and will continue to work to enhance the city’s laneways to create attractive spaces that draw in life and encourage new economic activity,’’ he said.

“There are exciting times ahead for Bank St ... in making it a safe and clean street for all users.”

Property owner Luke Koumi pictured next to the Bank St parklets. Picture: Naomi Jellicoe

Mr Koumi, whose building is home to tenants including Cibo, Zambrero and the Motel Adjacent Casino, welcomed the redesign. “I commend the council on the initiative and that they’ve listened to the local traders and property owners,” he said.

“We would be hopeful that part of the initiative will be the removal of the parklets and be replaced with more appropriate furniture.

“It’s 18 months down the track; it hasn’t improved, it’s got worse.”

A spokesman for Renewal SA, which overseas the parklets, said the area was prone to rubbish and “unsociable behaviour”.

“Renewal SA is not aware of any evidence to suggest an increase in such problems since the parklets were installed,’’ the spokesman said.

“The significant (number) of pedestrians passing through during big events, can present challenges.”

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