St Agnes recycling facility up for sale less than 12 months after ugly legal battle end

A controversial servo site that was the subject of a bitter SA-first legal battle between its owner and council is up for sale in a shock development.

The controversial subject site of the state’s first legal battle between a council and the State Commission Assessment Panel has gone up for sale.

The listing of the site, a service-station-recycling-facility on North East Rd at St Agnes, marks the future end to a bitter battle between Tea Tree Gully Council and the site’s owner Emmanouel Pishas.

Fewer than 12 months ago a long-running feud between the council and Mr Pishas came to a close when the council’s legal action to block plans for the site were quashed.

Mr Pishas told The Advertiser the property’s legacy would be “justice” and said the legal battle, despite its personal cost to him, was worth fighting.

“I did not make the rules – we did the right thing and we went to every authority,” he said.

Recycling centre operator Emmanouel Pishas. Picture: Jason Katsaras

The for sale sign at the recycling facility/service station. Picture: Supplied

“There are a lot of people who hate the council and are glad we took them. We’re happy we stood up to them for justice.”

Mr Pishas said the reason for listing the site was because its demand had become so great he and his son could no longer run it to the community’s level of satisfaction.

He said he had poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into the site, but would take a “sacrifice” on sale cost to sell it to somebody who would benefit the community the most.

The action, the first of its kind in SA, pitted the City of Tea Tree Gully against SCAP and Mr Pishas, who had proposed turning the site into a recycling facility as well as a service station.

At one point the site acted as a 24/7 protest site and ignited fierce division within the community.

Facing a $50,000 legal bill, and having already burnt through $25,840 of ratepayer money in its attempts to block the facility, the council withdrew their opposition.

Tea Tree Gully deputy mayor Lucas Jones was a vocal opponent to the site’s development into a recycling facility. (AAP Image/Sam Wundke)

Mr Pishas has owned the site for two decades. Picture: Sarah Reed

Protesters, including former councillor and Labor Newland member Olivia Savvas and Tea Tree Gully Council Deputy Mayor Lucas Jones, at the site in December 2021. Picture: Jason Katsaras

A council report at the time by city development manager Nathan Grainger and community and cultural development director Carol Neil discussed the implications.

“Council may (now) have very low prospects of success,” they wrote.

“It is not too late for the council to (move away) from its position and seek to resolve the matter by way of an agreement on additional conditions.”

Speaking after the site had been listed, council deputy mayor Lucas Jones hit out at Mr Pishas’s decision to push the legal action so far.

“It’s a great shame to see our community to go through so much angst only for the owner to pull up stumps a few months later,” he said.

“Obviously an industrial type of operation such as a recycling centre doesn’t belong next to a residential development and I think that has been challenging for all parties to agree to.”

He said he hoped any potential new owners would “remove” the “tall black bars” installed for the recycling facility and opt for a site that was “better integrated” with the rest of the township.