SWP: Former LeCornu Redevelopment | 20m | 6lvls | Mixed Use

[rogue]

mowing the weeds?

[metro]

painting the fence?

[skyliner]

We want to know bro!

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[ynotsfables]

I just saw barricades up and the speed limit changed to 25 on O'Connell street. I thought somebody else could shed some light on the subject.

[Brando]

New pipeline being laid along O'Connell Street.

[stumpjumper]

The rumour is that the Makris Group is talking to a buyer for the LeCornu site.

'No comment,' says Con Makris.

[bm7500]

An excerpt from an article by Tom Richardson appearing in today's http://www.indaily.com.au

.... Like the old Le Cornu site in North Adelaide, vacant for a quarter century and routinely earmarked for some major development or other that’s going to knock our proverbial socks off.

“Adelaide’s never seen anything like this,” the billboard proudly states without apparent irony at the gateway to the Makris empire’s equivalent of the Bermuda Triangle, an expanse of overgrown grass and graffiti, hemmed in by mismatched corrugated iron fencing.

Rumours were rife early this week that the entire enterprise was to be sold – or had been already – to an interstate developer, scuttlebutt made all the more curious when the company’s official response came back as “no comment”.

That was, until a furious Con Makris called my mobile from Athens later in the evening. He swore at me for a few minutes before hanging up, only to call back a few minutes later to explain that he wasn’t really swearing at me, he was just frustrated with the Adelaide naysayers.

But the project has clearly hit a financial snag: it was predicated on a glamorous suite of modern apartments, but now the Makris Group is seeking a third-party developer to build and sell the residential component of the plan instead.

Con insists he’ll still build the commercial precinct and will “never ever” sell the land. Oh, and he’s hoping to start construction work within 12 months.

Ok everyone: synchronise watches!

One can only hope 88 O’Connell Street manages to distinguish itself from the litany of other notorious lost Adelaide dreams: the city of Monarto, for instance, or the Multi-Function Polis.

But in a strange way, I’ll miss the old overgrown rundown square block that no-one’s allowed to enter.

Arriving in SA as a child just in time for the State Bank collapse, and spending a few of my formative years (not to mention the past six years of my professional life) in North Adelaide, that strange symbol of our fair city’s peculiar insanity is inextricably linked to my impression of my hometown.

It represents the big plans and modest returns.....

[Vee]

I drove past this derelict site yesterday with its deliberately mismatched, secondhand, corrugated fence providing an "up yours" message? to the good folk of North Adelaide and the Council. It is a longstanding blot on the otherwise upmarket dining, shopping, business precinct of O'Connell St. and our fair city.

I hope the site is sold so that some development occurs sooner than later. Isn't there any legislation or penalty or whatever that the state government or ACC can invoke or enact to rid us of this eyesore? Vain hope!

[monotonehell]

As a side note - we have the multi-function polis. It's called Mawson Lakes and is pretty much what they envisioned. Education, light industry and residential all in the same area.

[stumpjumper]

I hope the site is sold so that some development occurs sooner than later. Isn't there any legislation or penalty or whatever that the state government or ACC can invoke or enact to rid us of this eyesore? Vain hope!

In general terms, the time limit for commencement of a Special Project is 2 years under s.48 (11) of the Devt Act 1993. The time of 2 years is prescribed by s. 64A of the regulations to the Act.

s.48 (11) of the Act:

(11) If—
(a) the Governor gives a development authorisation under this section; but
(b) the development to which the development authorisation relates is not commenced by substantial work on the site of the development within the time specified by the regulations or, if a time is specified by the Governor as part of the development authorisation, within that time,
the Governor may, by notice in writing to any owner or occupier of the relevant land, cancel the development authorisation.

s.64A of the regs:

64A—Cancellation of development authorisation—section 48
For the purposes of section 48(11) of the Act, the period of 2 years from the date of the development authorisation is prescribed.

Makris seems to have found a way around that.

On this point I refer readers to an excellent commentary by Mr Alan Price:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_u-Ka4E7k8

[Nort]

As a side note - we have the multi-function polis. It's called Mawson Lakes and is pretty much what they envisioned. Education, light industry and residential all in the same area.

With a tiny fraction of the population though.

[skyliner]

JUST BUILD IT!

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[Goya's Line]

Good call Monotonehell - we also have Monarto in the developments of Gawler and (contentiously) Mount Barker.

[Waewick]

i hear drums beating.......

anyone else heard anything?

[skyliner]

And a lot of hot air travelling about!

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