$100m CBD project still in limbo

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p2166-Melanka-OsborneBy ERWIN CHLANDA
 
“And so, after a two-month period for public comment after the Christmas holidays, providing an opportunity to make suggestions on some of the features, a sales office will open at the site, offering strata title ownership.
 
“If enough cash flows, construction will start in the middle of next year.”
 
That was part of the Alice Springs News Online story on November 25 last year, reporting what Dean Osborne told the Town Council the night before about the $100m Melanka project.
 
Mr Osborne (pictured at last year’s meeting with architect James Forbes – centre – and Zac Neck – right), was speaking on behalf of the owner of the long empty prime site, Eden Developments (NT) Pty Ltd.
 
The headline of the report was “The Big One that could end the gloom”.
 
Today, with the middle of 2015 been and gone, there is no sales office on the site, construction hasn’t started and in fact, there is still no planning approval.
 
A spokesman for Lands Minister David Tollner told the News this morning: “The Department of Lands and Planning is still assessing the application and the Minister will make a decision once he has received its report.”
 
Mr Osborne told the News last week an Exceptional Development Application lodged by him “still sits with the government.
 
“We followed due process. We are not in a position to commence other works.”
 
 

3 COMMENTS

  1. Was always just another “headline grab” by the Giles Government. They have done a lot of it, “this will happen” and “that will happen” yet no feasibility studies, no solid investor commitment and no follow through.
    The latest in Darwin is the classic “Pier 39” or whatever it was.
    Have a couple beers, come up with a brain fart for vacant dirt or areas struggling and then throw it in a press release. Then lean on that for a day or two on how “big things are happening” until the next beer sess.
    Pretty basic, from a pretty basic Chief Minister.

  2. Only in the Alice can sensible plans be held up until the people who have put the plans forward realise that trying to invest in Alice Springs is a joke.

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