Pop-up venue hunt continues as Save the Cranker laws pass
Legislation preventing the demolition of the Crown & Anchor pub has passed parliament but a temporary home for the live music venue is yet to be found, with just six months until the business has to vacate for up to two years as part of the deal.
The Upper House yesterday passed landmark laws designed to protect the historic East End hotel development, essentially guaranteeing its future as an operational pub and live music venue.
The amendment of the Planning, Development and Infrastructure Act 2016 (PDI Act) was drafted after the state government and Singapore developer Wee Hur Holdings Ltd struck an unprecedented agreement in August to not gut the Grenfell St pub for a 19-storey student housing block after community backlash.
The legislation was passed with amendments from Greens MLC Robert Simms, adding clauses that give the Crown & Anchor the same protections as state heritage places from any future “demolition by neglect”.
The amendments mirror laws passed in August which increased penalties for damage or neglect of state heritage places. Fines of $1 million for body corporates and $500,000 for individuals now also apply to the Crown & Anchor, which is no longer protected by state heritage provisions under the Save the Cranker laws.
The legislation also designates the entire Adelaide CBD as a ‘live music venue area’, granting protections to certain live music venues which will be selected by Planning Minister Nick Champion at a later date.
With the laws now passed, Wee Hur can begin work on its student accommodation tower – now with a maximum building height of 101 metres and 29 storeys – on land currently housing venues Roxies and Chateau Apollo, sited next to the Crown & Anchor. The changes to the design of the tower were conceded as part of a trade-off to preserve the pub.
Wee Hur Holdings has to formally take ownership of the Grenfell Street site – expected in early October – and lodge its Development Application which will then be assessed by SCAP within 10 days as part of the state government’s agreement.
Once the DA is approved, Wee Hur will give the Crown & Anchor’s proprietor Tom Skipper six months to vacate the venue, after which the developer will have two years to build its tower.
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The pub, also owned by Wee Hur Holdings, will undergo renovation and significant soundproofing to its band room.
Skipper also has first right of return to the venue on completion of the build.
“Things will move quickly,” Malinauskas said today.
“The advantage of that, of course, is the faster things move the faster the Crown & Anchor will be back up and running again post the construction of the new facility and we’ll see live music being played next door.”
Premier Peter Malinauskas and Adelaide MP Lucy Hood celebrated with a beer last night at the Crown & Anchor. Photo: David Simmons / InDailyIn the meantime, Skipper aims to continue operating the Crown & Anchor from a temporary venue when one is found.
Skipper told InDaily last month that if a temporary home was not found the business and dozens of jobs would not survive the two-year closure.
Crown & Anchor supporters suggested the vacant former Producers Hotel – next to Tandanya at the eastern end of Grenfell St and a popular live music venue in the 1980s and 90s – as a potential temporary venue. However, as revealed by InDaily, work has just begun to repurpose the former pub into a drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre.
Malinauskas conceded this morning that a temporary home for the pub was yet to be found but Renewal SA was contacting potential sites for a “pop-up” Cranker.
“That’s a work in progress,” the Premier said.
“There are a number of options that we’re engaged with. Ultimately, that’s a matter for [Skipper] as the publican and the operator, but as a government, if we can provide assistance, we’re very keen to do that.
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“There’s a value in continuity if that can be afforded for not just the patrons but even the staff that work here at the Crown & Anchor of which there’s a significant number. If we can facilitate that, that’s a good thing.”
The newest design for the Wee Hur development saves the Cranker, and in exchange can be built higher and quicker. Photo: supplied.The Premier said the legislation was a “really good example of how genuine collaboration can work through challenging issues and get outcomes that are in the interest of the community writ large”.
“What makes our city great is more than just the buildings, it’s actually the people. And when we talk about people we often are referring to the culture, and live music is central to that.
“We don’t have live music without venues. And the very fact that the Crown & Anchor – one of the most prestigious and historic live music venues in the state – was at risk clearly was not satisfactory.”
Greens MLC Robert Simms said he was pleased to secure the support of the government for his amendments to the Save the Cranker laws.
“We do have a problem in the CBD at the moment in terms of buildings falling into demolition by neglect,” Simms said.
“What my amendment will do is ensure that any future owner of the Crown & Anchor will be subject to the rules that apply to heritage places when it comes to issuing repair orders and also facing potential penalties if the property is allowed to be negligently run down.
“Our hope is that this will keep the Crown & Anchor going long into the future, even if the building changes hands.”
Save the Cranker spokesperson Patrick Maher said the passage of the new laws through Parliament was “quite a watershed moment for South Australia”.
“For the culture of South Australia to have the entire Parliament come together on this issue and work with the community is a great result,” he said.
Save the Cranker board member Nazz Oldham said the group would continue to advocate for the pub and South Australian live music culture.
“The Save The Cranker Campaign will continue as a watchdog to protect the interests of the Cranker culture, community and operation over the next few years,” he said.
“We will rest when our community is all back in the Cranker and its business as usual.”
