Signed in as:
filler@godaddy.com
Signed in as:
filler@godaddy.com
TO: MinisterChampion@sa.gov.au
SUBJECT: Crown and Anchor Hotel
BODY:
Dear Minister of Planning,
We are compelled to ask you to act to protect the 171-year-old Crown and Anchor Hotel (aka ‘The Cranker’) from demolition.
As one of a handful of Adelaide’s oldest remaining pubs that have operated continuously since before 1860. It is:
· A year-round beacon of vibrancy in the East End
· One of the best small-to-mid-sized live music venues in Adelaide’s CBD with live music seven nights a week (the only pub in the city which does).
· Host to local, national, and international bands.
· A crucial incubator of local music industry talent.
· It continues to thrive after 30+ years where other venues struggle (Adelaide has just lost 15 venues in 15 months – a most concerning trend).
The Crown & Anchor Hotel deserves recognition and preservation as a significant building. With 3000 people taking part in the recent Save Our Cranker rally and over 22,000 public petition signatures collected - a number equivalent to an entire electorate - it is clear this is not just a local issue but a significant electoral concern across the state that highlights the community's demand for government that prioritises intelligent planning strategies.
The Planning, Development and Infrastructure Act 2016 (PDI Act) clearly states that the South Australian Minister of Planning has various powers relating to the State Planning Commission and regarding specific development proposals. You’ve commented on this several times, stating that the development is in the hands of what you’ve called an independent body and that there is nothing you can do.
On May 2 on ABC Radio Adelaide, you said “There’s always passionate debate but politicians are elected to public office to make policy, not to engage in theatre.”
PDI Act s 17(6) states that the Commission must abide by policy specified by the Minister – that’s you.
Will you make a policy declaration to save the Cranker?
We are happy to leave the specifics of this policy up to you, since you so publicly asserted that it is your job to make policy. We do have a suggestion though; you could make a policy about the interaction between the PDI Act and the Heritage Places Act. Specifically, regarding PDI Act s 132(4) which outlines that a place given provisional State Heritage Place (SHP)status must be considered to have SHP status from the same day as the development application was lodged
Consider the following:
· The plan was submitted based on a Local Heritage Place (LHP) status
· The place now has provisional State Heritage Place status
· The extent of the SHP status has yet to be established, and is not due to be established until September 2024.
· The plan only refers to LHP status. It is therefore is incomplete and it should be rejected on that basis
· However, the plan could be amended to reflect the SHP status
· The amended plan can’t reasonably consider the extent of the SHP status because that extent has yet to be established. It would therefore be incomplete and should be rejected on that basis
· Similarly, the State Planning Commission also cannot consider a development plan (original or amended) against the extents of the SHP status, because it has yet to be established
· There is no established policy regarding the interaction between the PDI Act and the Heritage Places Act in the instance where the extent of the heritage listing is not defined while a place has provisional SHP status
Therefore, you (perhaps working with the Minister for Climate, Environment and Water Susan Close MP) could make a policy which states that the State Planning Commission must reject development proposals relating to provisional State Heritage Places on the grounds that they cannot reasonably be assessed.
What we are asking for is simply that you act on this immediately to inhibit a current development proposal that is not in-line with the government or community expectations.
This policy must also ensure proper cultural and heritage preservation until legislative changes can be passed.
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Say something personalise your letter here. Feel free to pluck some details from your SCAP proposal.
Please include a short something about how the Cranker factors into your life. No need to overthink it.
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Inaction now will have an irreversible outcome.
Please act on our behalf.
Sincerely,
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