Demolition works to begin next week on $200 million Buckingham Arms hotel development as local claim site is a rubbish dump
Demolition works will begin next week on the $200 million Buckingham Arms hotel development as furious locals claim the historic site in Gilberton has turned into a rubbish dump.
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Demolition works will begin next week on the $200 million Buckingham Arms hotel development as furious locals claim the historic site in Gilberton has turned into a rubbish dump.
Residents living near the property, on the corner of Northcote and Walkerville terraces, say garbage and waste left on the site had turned it into an “eyesore” and invited vermin.
They also fear the rubbish could spark another fire like the one which destroyed parts of the
property in November.
The heritage-listed portion of the pub, built in 1846, was spared but newer parts of the property were extensively damaged in the blaze.
Jessica Nguyen, 38, said the site, which will be turned into a 10-storey apartment building by Adelaide developers Citify, needed to be “cleaned up” to prevent another incident.
“There’s a lot of young kids living around here and people who run down the street and I don’t want the same thing to happen again,” Ms Nguyen said.
“It’s already an eyesore, they need to do something with the land...to just clean it up.
“I have to look at it across the road everyday so it would be nice to have some nice landscape over there. Once it’s developed, it’ll look better.”
Another nearby resident, Mark Johnson, 64, said the rubbish attracted vermin such as rats.
“The garbage, the filth... we’ve had rats come through there,” he said.
“I’ve killed half a dozen, I’ve actually laid poison and so on.”
With construction to begin soon, Mr Johnson said he’s thought about whether he should move away.
“(The development) is going to significantly alter people’s lives, and all the poor souls around there plus me will be living next door to a major construction site for about five years,” he said.
A Citify spokesman said that the property would be cleaned up and work would begin on the non-heritage part of the site in coming days.
“Demolition works are scheduled to commence next week,” he said.
Revised designs for the 10-storey apartment building were approved by the State Commission Assessment Panel in late January.
As part of the latest plans, 130 apartments and 56 short-stay apartments will feature in the building, which will offer 1230sq m of ground floor retail space.
The residential apartments range from one-bedroom residences to four-bedroom penthouse suites with views to the hills and the city.
Other features will include a pool, golf simulator, sauna, steam room, gymnasium, private function room and wine room. The project will support up to 200 jobs during construction.
Citify said at the time that the heritage-listed elements of the existing Buckingham Arms hotel building will be restored and reopened as a food and beverage venue.
Locals have been divided over the development, with Citify’s original $150m, 182-apartment plan, with three interlinked towers, rejected by the panel last March.
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