Glenelg foreshore apartments rejected – again

The State Fee Evaluation Panel (SCAP) on Wednesday refused to grant planning consent to Adelaide builders Chasecrown to redevelop the Seawall Residences web site at 21-25 South Esplanade Glenelg, situated roughly 550-metres south of Moseley Sq..

Chasecrown had utilized to construct a 10-storey, 39.3-metre-tall constructing comprised of 72 residences. The constructing was to slope all the way down to four-storeys, 5.5-metres at its southern finish the place it adjoins low-rise housing.

The builders had in January 2021 utilized to construct a 13-storey tower on the location however encountered vital opposition from native residents involved concerning the proposed demolition of an area heritage listed former seafront mansion and the peak of the event.

The preliminary 13-storey residence proposal (left) was revised all the way down to 10-storeys (proper) in a bid to win over planning authorities. Pictures: Chasecrown/equipped

The SCAP rejected the 13-storey constructing in June 2021, ruling that it had “extreme massing… and doesn’t adequately acknowledge and respect the present context”.

On Wednesday, the SCAP knocked again Chasecrown’s revised 10-storey proposal on related grounds, discovering the constructing didn’t justify exceeding the location’s five-storey, 18.5-metre zoning.

“Nor does the event in any other case positively reply to the native context together with the location’s frontage, depth and adjoining road frontage, and demolishing of an area heritage merchandise,” the SCAP ruling, revealed on Thursday, states.

“The constructing wouldn’t sufficiently mitigate constructing massing on residential growth throughout the neighbourhood sort zones to the south and east.

An artist’s impression of the four-storey southern finish of the proposed growth. Picture: Chasecrown/equipped

“Nor does the constructing top and mass transition sufficiently to the zone boundary to take care of the amenity of residential properties situated inside adjoining zones.”

The SCAP additionally dominated that the “visible mass, kind and top” of the constructing could be “overly outstanding when considered from adjoining allotments and public streets”.

Additional, the demolition of the location’s 141-year-old native heritage constructing wouldn’t meet the specified final result of the native heritage planning overlay, the SCAP dominated, whereas the high-rise growth was deemed to not current “sufficiently high-quality design that responds appropriately to the native context”.

The native heritage listed former seafront mansion at 22 and 23 South Esplanade was inbuilt 1882. Picture: Thomas Kelsall/InDaily (2021)

A Chasecrown spokesperson mentioned on Thursday: “Chasecrown is disillusioned with as we speak’s determination by the State Fee Evaluation Panel (SCAP) and can now take into account its choices.”

The SCAP’s ruling comes regardless of state authorities planning officer Nathan Grantham recommending the event be authorized.

In his report back to the SCAP, Grantham mentioned the constructing was “designed to positively reply to the context of current and anticipated constructed kind throughout the locality”.

He famous {that a} 12-storey constructing – the Saltram Towers – is situated adjoining to the event web site, arguing that Chasecrown’s proposal to transition down from 10 to 4 storeys would “appropriately [minimise] constructing interface impacts to adjoining residential properties”.

Improvement consultants Future City, on behalf of Chasecrown, mentioned that constructing a five-storey tower in keeping with the zone would create a “jarring and abrupt relationship with the Saltram Towers constructing”.

Proponents of the event argued that it could transition from the 12-storey Saltram towers (left) to the low rise neighbourhood space on the precise. Picture: Chasecrown/equipped

“The proposed constructed kind and massing (of the proposed growth) instantly responds to the native context,” Future City mentioned, “accounting for the present and rising character of the locality which incorporates each the tall, high-density growth and smaller, low-rise buildings.”

Future City additionally argued that the native heritage place (LHP ) not warranted itemizing on the heritage register, citing recommendation from developer-commissioned heritage consultants Bruce Harry & Associates and Holdfast Bay Council’s heritage adviser.

“There’s clear and irrefutable proof that demonstrates that the LHP has been so considerably altered through the years that the general heritage worth of its exterior kind and detailing, could be very low or non-existent,” Future City mentioned.

However the brand new 10-storey growth nonetheless did not win over Authorities Architect Kirsteen Mackay, who leads the Workplace for Design and Structure.

MacKay labelled the unique 13-storey proposal an “overbearing mass” and used the identical phrases to explain the brand new 10-storey bid.

“I’m unable to assist the proposal in its present kind as a result of considerations referring to the massing and constructed kind,” she submitted in February.

“I’m additionally of the view that the proposal is but to fulfil the accountability to ship a excessive benchmark for good design significantly when it comes to public realm contribution.”

Chasecrown didn’t suggest to incorporate reasonably priced housing within the growth.

Grantham, the federal government planner who beneficial the challenge, mentioned alternatives for reasonably priced housing have been “hindered” by the event’s “coveted foreshore location”.

A diagram of 10-storey residence constructing. Picture: Chasecrown/Future City

Chasecrown has been trying to redevelop 21-25 South Esplanade for almost three years. It bought the roughly 3500-square-metre web site for $20.2 million in December 2020.

After its preliminary 13-storey proposal was rejected, Chasecrown appealed to the Setting, Sources and Improvement (ERD) Courtroom and reportedly reached a confidential settlement with the Planning Fee to proceed with a 10-storey constructing.

However that settlement was quashed when the ERD Courtroom dominated in February 2022 that neighbouring residents might be a part of the courtroom attraction as an occasion, successfully forcing the builders to resubmit their 10-storey plans for public session and SCAP approval.

Chasecrown has demolished the non-heritage constructing at 21-25 South Esplanade. Solely the native heritage constructing stays.

Supported by the Authorities of South Australia