Commune-style living plan for Prospect’s historic Tram barn site
A COMMUNE-style housing development – where residents share common spaces including kitchens and lounges – has been proposed for Prospect’s historic tram barn site. Hippy haven, or just silly?
- Heritage tram barn could be sold by Prospect Council
- ‘This could be the pub everyone’s been waiting for’
A COMMUNE-style housing development – where residents share common spaces including kitchens and lounges – has been proposed for Prospect’s historic tram barn site.
The South Australian Co-Housing Association wants to develop the Johns Rd section of the barn site into community housing and lease the Main North Rd frontage for commercial development.
Under the plan, the 130-year-old, heritage-listed tram barn building would be retained, perhaps as an art gallery or museum.
The proposal was suggested during a meeting last week of the newly formed Tram Barn Alliance to discuss the future of the site, which Prospect Council has valued at $1.5 million.
Co-Housing Association head Fuzzy Trojan, who was involved with a similar development at Windsor Gardens last year, was approached by Prospect councillor Alison De Backer to produce a plan for the site.
“Co-housing creates a village through integrated design so, unlike with normal developers, houses are built side-by-side with some shared facility use,” said Mr Trojan, who was involved in Adelaide City Council’s first co-housing project, Elder Mews, on the corner of Angas and Frome streets, in 1973.
“Prospect’s growing population makes this site a suitable space.”
Mayor David O’Loughlin said the council was open to receiving all proposals for the future of the site.
“We welcome all ideas no matter how challenging, creative, kooky or boring,” Mr O’Loughlin said.
He said there was “a lot of good will” from residents at last week’s Tram Barn Alliance meeting.
“What is paramount … is finding a viable use for the old tram barn that welcomes community access and is financially feasible for the operator,” he said.
Mr Trojan, who was seeking an investor for the project, said he was open to a model in which the council still owned the land.
The Tram Barn Alliance will meet in the next week to formalise its position and prepare a presentation for councillors.
The council is considering selling the tram barn to partly fund a new library at its Civic Centre on Prospect Rd.
