‘Your $50m tower will ruin an iconic Adelaide view’
AN Adelaide community is desperate to prevent one of South Australia’s richest families from building a 38m-tall office tower in the heart of a historic suburb.
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THE community is uniting to oppose a seven-storey office tower planned for a prominent Kensington intersection, saying it will destroy the character of the area.
Nowood, Payneham & St Peters Council and the Norwood and Kensington residents associations have written to Planning Minsiter John Rau to oppose Peregrine Corporation’s plans for its new head office on the southeastern corner of The Parade and Portrush Rd.
In a letter to Mr Rau, Kensington Residents’ Association president Stewart Caldwell said one family on Bowen St – immediately behind the proposed development – had already sold their house and another family, who was renting in the area, was preparing to leave.
Mr Caldwell told the East Torrens Messenger his group was concerned the 38m-tall building – the equivalent of an average nine-storey structure – would dominate the area.
“We are just worried that this development is so out of context and really inappropriate for its location,” said Mr Caldwell, referring to the landmark Clayton Wesley Uniting Church on the northeastern corner of the intersection and the former Norwood Wesleyan Methodist Church opposite.
“Looking up The Parade towards that church is one of Adelaide’s iconic views and this large building competing with it is not appropriate for the area.”
NP&SP Council last week held a special meeting to discuss the proposal, which Mr Rau will assess directly after he determined the $50 million development was of “economic significance to the state”.
In front of a packed – and at times vocal – public gallery, Mayor Robert Bria also expressed concern as to the impact of the development.
“One could see a similar type of development, not this scale, perhaps in the heart of Norwood, but of all places Kensington?” Mr Bria told the meeting.
“I just think it is really a dagger to the heart of the community who live there and for that locality.”
Cr Sophia MacRae said Peregrine Corporation – the parent company of the On The Run service station chain, owned by the Shahin family – had ignored the council’s feedback on the proposal.
“The applicant, despite having years of information and consultation with our staff about what would be a workable development, has chosen to completely bystep that process,” Cr MacRae said.
“They have not done this lightly and have deliberately chosen to go beyond what is acceptable to our community.
“We will have to live with this for the next 100 years.”
Peregrine Corporation did not respond to questions from the East Torrens Messenger, including if it would compromise on the proposed height of the building.
Mr Rau said it was “inappropriate to comment” at this time.
The family who sold their Bowen St property also declined to comment.
Work on the redevelopment was expected to start later this year and be completed in 2018, subject to Mr Rau’s approval.
Consultation on the plans closed last week.