Hans Ehmann’s plan to demolish Port Adelaide’s Fishermen’s Wharf Market for $200m development
THE bulldozer will be taken to Port Adelaide’s iconic Fishermen’s Wharf Market to make way for a planned $200m development. Developer Hans Ehmann reveals why it has to go.
- Port Adelaide master plan revealed: New townhouses, shops, cafes, cinema on the waterfront
- Is the rejuvenation of the Port finally happening?
- More glass, extra level in planned $12m shopping centre revamp in Adelaide’s west
- Funds to help kick start new business in Port Adelaide
PLANS to demolish the Fishermen’s Wharf Market shed have been given the green light.
The state’s main planning authority, the Development Assessment Commission, has approved an application lodged by the site’s owner Hans Ehmann to demolish the building, which is home to a weekly market on the Port’s waterfront.
The decision got an unfavourable reception from the mayor, a local MP, the National Trust and some of the market’s regular customers.
Mr Ehmann — who is also the developer behind the $25 million Quest Hotel which opened in the Port last week — intends to build a $200 million dollar complex on the site, housing two apartment buildings and a hotel which will connect to a heritage exhibition and a conference area through a public plaza.
Mr Ehmann said he was delighted with the outcome of the application.
“Port Adelaide has been in a state of arrested development for the past 30 years,” he said.
He said he will be submitting the first building’s plans to the commission shortly and will be applying to have the shed’s demolition completed in stages.
“The Fishermen’s Wharf Markets ... will be reduced in size over time to accommodate the new buildings,” Mr Ehmann said.
“It will eventually be relocated but this is likely to be several years into the future.”
Andrew Penno, who has sold paintings in the market for the past 12 years, said he would “go with the flow.”
“This is not our property, they want to do what they want to do and that is fair enough,” Mr Penno said.
“They have looked after us and if they want to close the shop we should not be holding that over them.
“One door closes and another one opens, you have to look for the open doors,” he said.
However, market-goers were disappointed by the news.
Judy Baker of North Haven said the markets were “a gem” and that it would be terrible to see the shed go.
“This is heritage, this is us, we are going to lose it all,” Mrs Baker said.
She said it was sad because her father worked on the wharf and in the future younger generations would not know about the work that was once done there.
Mayor Gary Johanson said he understood that people were disappointed by the decision but that it was out of the council’s hands.
“A symbol of the Port has gone missing as result of this decision,” Mr Johanson said.
He said the council would stress “that whatever goes in its place has a heritage feel and blends in with the surrounding buildings.”
MP Susan Close said in a statement that she was disappointed too.
“I hope the owner listens to locals who want to see development that celebrates the heritage of Port Adelaide,” Ms Close said.
Mr Ehmann said in terms of the future building’s design, it will be a collaboration between himself, the commission and the government architect.
The Port Adelaide branch of the National Trust applied to have the shed added to the state’s heritage register in September, however it was not found to meet the criteria.
National Trust co-chair Pat Netschitowsky said she was very unhappy about the decision.
“I think the heritage precinct is why people come to Port Adelaide ... adapting the area is much more economically viable than putting in apartments, it makes no sense,” she said.
She said a beautiful spot on the river and by the Lighthouse should not be privatised because it was everyone’s to enjoy.
Port Admiral Hotel owner Adam Freeman said the market shed was part of the fabric of Port Adelaide.
“The general consensus among businesses in the area is they want a vibrant Port,” Mr Freeman said.
“Residents do not create vibrancy.
“It is more important for it to be a tourist hub and the Fishermen’s Wharf Markets are an ideal location,” he said.
However, Mr Ehmann said that Port Adelaide needs a significant resident community.
“If it was ever going to prosper on the back of tourism alone, it would have done so by now,” he said.