New 29-room tourist accommodation development approved for Hahndorf in Adelaide Hills

An “A-grade” tourist motel and retail development won’t add to the traffic woes plaguing an Adelaide Hills town, the developer says.

Artist impression of high-end tourist accommodation that's been approved for Hahndorf's main street. Picture: Beyond Ink

Work is slated start on new high-end, “A-grade” tourism accommodation bringing motel rooms to Hahndorf’s main street by April.

And two current tenants of the existing building – which will be demolished – will be welcomed back if they want to return when the motel is finished, developer and owner Mark Fiora.

The building at 44 Main St will be torn down for the approved 29-room accommodation development, to cost between $6m and $7m, off-street carparking and two street-facing retail tenancies.

The fish and chip shop, Grund’s Gourmet cafe and Saigon Viet Rolls will vacate the shopfront within weeks.

Artist impression of high-end tourist accommodation that's been approved for Hahndorf's main street. Picture: Beyond Ink

Artist impression of high-end tourist accommodation that's been approved for Hahndorf's main street. Picture: Beyond Ink

The row of shops at 44 Mount Barker Rd, Hahndorf, will be knocked down to make way for a new tourist accommodation centre. Picture: Google Maps

Chip shop owner John Standley said he would retire, while Mr Fiora said the other two stores would return to the site when construction was finished, hopefully by late October.

“It was never our intention to push anyone out, we’ve always had a good name (in the Hills) and if there was a problem we fixed it, we just work with everyone,” said Mr Fiora, who formerly owned Littlehampton Clay Bricks and Pavers.

“There’s actually room for him to go back in – but at his age, it’s hard. So there’s room for the other two, and we’d love them to stay in the development. Ideally that would be our preferred case.

“I see this as an opportunity to grow the town of Hahndorf without impacting on the carparking congestion within the town.”

Planners Beyone Ink said carparking for the development has been incorporated into the site plan, meaning the accommodation would be “self-sufficient” in parking requirements and not rely on Hahndorf’s existing carparking.

The town, which attracts about one million tourists a year, has long been plagued by traffic problems.

Mr Fiora, a four-time SA speedway champ, said the motel aimed to create sorely needed “top-end” accommodation in the Adelaide Hills and address the gap left by older, more “tired” short-stay units currently on the market for tourists in the Hills.

Artist impression of high-end tourist accommodation that's been approved for Hahndorf's main street. Picture: Beyond Ink

Artist impression of high-end tourist accommodation that's been approved for Hahndorf's main street. Picture: Beyond Ink

Mark Fiora is the developer behind the Hahndorf motel project. Picture: Mike Burton

“We’re very short of rooms in Adelaide and the Adelaide Hills, thankfully because tourists are coming to SA,” Mr Fiora said.

“Most of the current motels or hotels were built in the 70s or 80s and the rooms are getting tired.

“Instead of a night in a box, we want to do something that’s a higher standard.

“It’s something SA Tourism and local tourism is pushing for – they’re all saying the same things, where are the sites, and who can build it?

“It’s all approved, it ticked all the boxes, it didn’t need public consultation because it was exactly what they’re asking to go in those areas – it’s zoned for it … the heritage side of things, (council) is happy with what we’re doing.”

The development received planning consent from Mount Barker Council in September and is progressing through the final stages of building consent.

Construction tenders will go out in the next week.

“We want to get it started, finished and open – redevelop the site and have those shops back in,” Mr Fiora said.

Originally published as New 29-room tourist accommodation development approved for Hahndorf in Adelaide Hills