What a suburban Adelaide council is willing to sell to pay for its future
THE future of a historic town hall is up in the air as one surbuban Adelaide council considers selling off its assets to pay for future developments. What’s your view?
THE future of buildings such as the Henley Town Hall and library is up in the air as Charles Sturt Council considers selling off assets.
The council met behinds closed doors last week to discuss a long-term plan to sell, lease or change the management of its “extensive property holdings”.
While full details of the plan remain confidential, council documents show staff are seeking to appoint a consultant to explore the potential of selling certain assets – and reinvesting the money in future developments.
The Western Adelaide Coastal Residents Association has met with the council to discuss how to manage the potential sale of various properties or seek expressions of interest to use them.
Association president Jim Douglas said the Henley Town Hall, the library, Henley and Grange depot, Henley and Grange community centre and a council-owned house on the corner of North St and Military Rd were among the properties under review.
Mr Douglas said any money made from buildings deemed surplus to use “could be substantial” and should be reinvested into the wider Charles Sturt community, not just the Henley and Grange areas.
He said any services lost during the sale of buildings, such as the library, must be relocated with proper consideration.
“There are areas in the council that could do with upgrading or updating of community services ... we wouldn’t oppose that,” he said.
We’ve had $9 million spent on Henley Square and live in a fantastic suburb, so the money would be better spent on services or projects like the St Clair Recreation Centre.”
Charles Sturt chief executive Paul Sutton said the council-owned buildings and land were used for a variety of community, council and commercial purposes, as well as some that were unused or under-utilised.
“Often, these are small parcels that have sat idle and are not large enough to be usable for council purposes,” Mr Sutton said.
He said the council had a “clear commitment” to retaining a library service.
Charles Sturt wants to start work on a $26 million redevelopment of the St Clair Recreation Centre in October.
The council has budgeted for a $12.9 million contribution in its long-term financial plan and a further $2.3 million will be secured through the sale of council assets.
The State Government has agreed to contribute $7.5 million, although the council is hopeful of securing more government funding to cover the project’s $3 million shortfall.