Adelaide City Council removes fence, opens up old Le Cornu site at 88 O’Connell St to the community

AFTER being vacant for nearly 30 years, progress on the old Le Cornu site in North Adelaide was made this morning, with the walls finally coming down.

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THE walls of the former Le Cornu site in North Adelaide have finally come down.

For years people passing 88 O’Connell St — too short to see over the fence — have wondered about the abandoned expanse of land.

A section of fence lining the 7535 sqm site — which has been vacant since 1989 — was knocked down by Lord Mayor Martin Haese and councillors following settlement of council’s $34 million purchase from billionaire developer Con Makris last month.

The fence is down at the old Le Cornu site at 88 O'Connell St, North Adelaide.

On Thursday morning council staff removed the rest of the fence and laid a section of new turf, a section of gravel and widened the footpath with asphalt.

Lord Mayor Martin Haese told The Advertiser this was the first step in the future development of the site.

“Council has moved quickly to take down the fence at 88 O’Connell St,” he said.

“This will enable the community to access the site for the first time in many, many years.

“It has also been indicative of council’s determination to get on with the job of realising the appropriate development for this site in the future.”

He said although gravel has been laid on a section of the block, parking provisions on the site were yet to be confirmed, with the short-term use of the site to be decided by councillors at an upcoming council meeting.

The new turf is laid at the old Le Cornu site.

He also encouraged the public to express “what they want to see on the site” while the appropriate development of the site — with community consultation — is planned.

A block party on the site for the community is soon to be announced.

However, city councillor Anne Moran yesterday raised concerns that the council was “being used as an election tool”, and said it should be postponed until after ratepayers cast their votes on March 17.

“The seat of Adelaide is on a knife edge and we shouldn’t be seen to support either side,” she wrote in an email to the council.