Road to ruin: Thebarton Theatre among heritage gems at risk under multibillion-dollar South Rd upgrade

Beloved music venue Thebarton Theatre is among a list of heritage gems that could be at risk under a major upgrade of South Rd. VOTE IN OUR POLL.

Under risk. Several heritage gems along South Rd could be at risk under a multibillion-dolalr upgrade of the major arterial road. Photo Matt Loxton.

A beloved live music venue, a 104-year-old church and popular pubs are among heritage buildings facing an uncertain future under the multibillion-dollar South Road upgrade.

Sunday Mail analysis of the final stretch of the North-South corridor show a number of heritage listed properties, including the Thebarton Theatre, are along the proposed path for South Australia’s largest ever infrastructure project.

Other buildings in the firing line include the Holder Memorial and Queen of Angels churches, West Thebarton and Maid of Auckland pubs and the Kilara Primary School convent and chapel.

The State Government has stressed a business case is still underway for the final stage of the project - stretching 10.5 kilometres from near Thebarton to Darlington.

But it has confirmed State and local heritage listing will not save properties if they are needed.

It follows revelations last week that between 600 and 1000 properties could be sacrificed to make way for the troublesome 10.5km stretch which runs through built-up suburbs and commercial districts just north and south of Anzac Highway.

Tom Koutsantonis at Queen of Angels Church on South Rd. Photo: AAP Image/Dean Martin.

National Trust SA chief executive Darren Peacock told the Sunday Mail concerned locals must tell the council or Infrastructure Minister Stephan Knoll if they believed properties should be preserved while the planning process is being undertaken.

State West Torrens MP Tom Koutsantonis, has called for intervention, and additional funding, from the Prime Minister Scott Morrison, to ensure a number of iconic buildings in his electorate can be preserved.

“Iconic landmarks like the Queen of Angels church and Thebarton Theatre are beloved state assets and we can’t lose them,” he said adding both of the properties should be “off limit” in the acquisition process.

“This has to go above the head of the Transport Minister. This has to go to the Prime Minister who is funding half of this.

“If the Government needs more resources from the Commonwealth Government to ensure it is a tunnel to keep these significant assets in place then we should absolutely look at that.”

Mr Koutsantonis said the Queen of Angels church, built in 1915, needed to be spared.

“The idea that one of the most iconic classic churches, the Queen of Angels, could be lost is horrific,” the former state infrastructure minister said.

A spokeswoman for the Adelaide Catholic Archdiocese did not comment on the impact of an acquisition of the 104-year-old church, saying there was currently no proposal.

The church is situated in a section of South Road between the West Thebarton Hotel and Henley Beach Road with a high concentration of heritage listed properties.

Unlike the Thebarton Theatre, that is set back quite a way from South Road, the church is just metres from the ioad as are a number of other properties including the former Thebarton Court House and Police Station from the 1940s and the 1885 built former Town Hall.

Mr Knoll told the Sunday Mail the Government was committed to completing the North-South Corridor with $5.4 billion on the table for the final 10.5km stretch.

The Government is considering three solutions for the stretch.

They are one super tunnel, or a hybrid option of two that includes traffic returning to the surface between Anzac Highway and Edward St in Melrose Park.

A tunnel-free design is also being examined, which would be similar to the Torrens to Torrens build.

Mr Knoll hinted at the tunnel being the best option to help preserve homes.

“It is very premature to speculate about which properties could be affected as we are yet to receive the business case and are still a while off the design phase,” Mr Knoll said.

“There’s no doubt that if we ultimately decide to tunnel, there would be less land acquisition involved than the grade separation option.

“The community should rest assured that there is a very rigorous process in place around land acquisition.

“We will keep the community informed at every step along the way.”

Dr Peacock said he was not aware of any heritage listed properties being compulsorily acquired in recent history.He said it was important for locals to make it clear what heritage buildings where important to them.

“It is important that we anticipate in advance what the impacts might be rather than waiting for bulldozers to move in,” Dr Peacock said.

“You need the local community to identify its position. What do they want to see protected?

“The community needs to decide how confident they are that the properties will be preserved and if they are concerned they need to lobby the State Government.

“He said it was important for the council to take a position on locally listed places.

“It is a hard choice, but it is an engineering choice ultimately,” Dr Peacock said.

“It is always good to save properties when you can but you have to weigh up what are the costs and what are the benefits to residents of the community of each of the options. Heritage would not be the only factor you consider - but it should be one of them for sure.

“It is important that we can look at all the options and see how we can preserve them.”

Australian Civic Trust Chairman Darian Hiles said state planning was in dire straits but the main issue with heritage buildings was the lack of appreciation by developers, councils and governments of their value.

“The North-South corridor proposal could eventually strip Thebarton, Torrensville and Mile End of much of the history established in icons such as the Queen of Angels Church - an architectural jewel, former Thebarton Town Hall with its complementary library, and Thebarton Theatre, a state/national icon,” he said.

Mr Hiles said it was important the government balanced the needs of the entire community.

He also warned the handling of other recent projects may drive public reaction against other development proposals and will certainly encourage reactions to the South Road proposal across the community.

The paper sought comment from West Torrens Council and Federal Infrastructure Minister Alan Tudge.