By ERWIN CHLANDA
A six-storey accommodation building between Todd Street and Leichhardt Terrace will include 71 units, according the developer, Whittaker Street Developments Pty Ltd which is owned 50% by Centrecorp and 50% by Michael Sitzler.
“The development is not a Sitzler development and we hope to achieve 95% local content in its construction,” says Mr Sitzler.
Included will be 41 one-bed units, 20 two-bed units and 10 three-bed units. The remaining one bed-unit is for a caretaker.
These will all be leased to the NT Health Department who will accommodate workers at the hospital, says Mr Sitzler.
The building has a basement carpark and then six levels of units above ground level.
“There is a pool and gym for the tenants’ use and an open area deck at the top levels which will provide great views to the MacDonnell Ranges or north looking across the CBD area,” he says.
“At the Todd Street frontage there is also a commercial tenancy which is separate from the accommodation which is secured.
“This space will be taken by the Tea Shrine which was a tenant there before the development started,” says Mr Sitzler.
“I have taken the opportunity with the design to create some art walls at both the Todd Street zone and the Leichardt Terrace Zone and hope to get local artists’ input into the final product.
“It is estimated that the project will create 150 jobs during construction which is planned to start in May and be complete in November.”
Friday, April 19, 2024
The freedom of the press still furnishes that check upon government which no constitution has ever been able to provide – Chicago Tribune.
Looks good. Hopefully it still gets up and going.
For several years I’ve pointed out the apparent correlation between privately funded proposals or construction of high rise developments above three storeys in Alice Springs and the onset of major economic downturns.
I did so in 2015 (see my two comments), noted it again in 2017 (see my early comment), and yet again last year.
I’ve also stated my observations a number of times on local ABC radio.
Given current circumstances it appears to me that Alice Springs remains as strong a barometer for economic turmoil as it has demonstrated on several occasions for nearly half a century.
However, confirmation of the go-ahead for a major six-storey development seems to herald a far worse situation unfolding around the world.
The ABC’s business editor, Ian Verrender, has posted a stark warning of a far more worrying development that has been masked by our pre-occupation with the coronavirus emergency and sharp decline of stock markets.
If this warning holds true, we don’t just face the prospect of an economic recession; rather it is an economic depression that now looms ahead of us.
It looks to me that we are confronted with an epochal turning point of history, the like of which hasn’t been experienced since the commencement of the Great Depression 90 years ago.
Those who went through the 1981 and 1991 recessions saw very long street queues of Australians lining up to register for the CES Commonwealth Employment Service and now Centrelink.
This is something the youth of this country would not believe could happen. Well, it can and it looks very likely. QANTAS has just sacked 75% of its staff and its obvious that the world economy has closed down completely. This means a depression if it continues.
Sydney and Melbourne mortgages of million dollars individually are enough to tip Australia into a depression alone; that is foreclosing on mortgages sees Australians on the streets. Businesses have a serious problem that is there now.
One does not need to be a chief economist to know if economic activity declines or stops it has an immediate effect on the economy and so the domino effect takes place.
That means we sit at home and wait for the economy to resume normal activity that may take place.
As a community we should also shame those who panic buy at Alice Springs supermarkets and apply a politically correct shame.I saw some buying 3Kg x 5 large sugar bags and Vegemite (yeast) x 5, for what? Alcohol making comes to mind.
Fortunately, the new rules stopped this and they certainly looked guilty when the operator advised kindly this purchase was not possible.
My grandmother used to say If I’ve told you once, I have told you a thousand times. This situation may save us in the future if we demand better Leaders of the community.
After the fiasco of the feral pest Yellow Rabbit let’s all hope that Mr Sitzler has nothing to do with the “art walls” on this ugly and over-scaled too high building.
I suppose nothing has been learnt from the squashed-on-site, glass-walled west facing monstrosity already inflicted on our town.
Alex and The G: Comments seem to be a bit off topic.
My question is: “What happened to the Alice height limit?”
I do not recall any development application process, or opportunity for public input.
Is this just another of those fait accompli?
The “Town Like Alice” going … going… gone.
ED: Hi Charlie. It all ended with an Exceptional Development Permit, appearing (pictured) in the Murdoch Centralian Advocate.
Erwin Chlanda, Editor.
@ Charlie Carter (Posted March 20, 2020 at 5:27 pm): Regardless of whether due process and opportunity for public input has occurred, recent history shows such development applications are invariably a fait accompli irrespective of which political party holds office.
It’s only changing circumstances that catch government and developers out; for example, the vacant lots of Melanka, the Aboriginal Art and Culture Centre (next door to KFC), and – for a time – Lizzie Milnes’s home in Bath Street which was an empty lot for several years until the Green Well office complex was built.
This was only after the NT Government guaranteed renting the new building (leaving vacant other office space across town).
The latest example is the demolition of the former Anzac Hill High School; given current circumstances, don’t hold our collective breath over anything being developed on this site for many years (if at all) and long after the current miserable excuse posing as a Northern Territory Government has been consigned to the rubbish dump of history.
@ CharlieCarter: Several years ago the NTG lifted the height restrictions in Alice Springs up to eight stories high. Depending on the location of vistas.
Now with construction costs these days being quite expensive, not to mention property prices within Alice Springs town centre being expensive, the only way is up.
Otherwise you can forget having affordable multi-storey dwellings.
It’s not worth building them to just three stories without passing on the expensive building costs onto new tenants.
I am certain it was this very online newspaper for publishing the news on the new height limits. Anyway, I think going up is better than sprawling out.
This town has a shortage of rental choices at affordable prices.
I look forward to seeing this development completed.
The town needs more people living in the town centre.
New people will also mean more competitive prices and cheaper rents.
Hopefully it will also mean less crime, as most of the petty crime happens when there’s not to many people around to see it.
“Which is planned to start in May and be complete in November.”
I am not a builder or a developer, but that time table seems very optimistic from my view, hope I am wrong.
Thanks Erwin.
When was that notice published?
We can only hope the downturn cuts it off at the ankles.
But of course they will get Govt. business support.
Did you have a look at the “reasons for decision” mentioned in point (d)? It may be worth a laugh.
[It was on March 6, Charlie. Regards, Erwin.]
I’m sure that visitors will flock here to gaze in admiration on a six story residential building just as they flock to Anzac Hill to gaze in awe on the monstrosity that serves as a Supreme Court building.
What a great reminder of our unique history!
Perhaps long term planning people should spend some time on Anzac Hill and listen to some of the comments when I point out the few remaining buildings in town that represent our history and cultural heritage.
You won’t need a calculator to count them. Yet in other centres they are the driving force behind tourism.
In the meantime the Red Hot arts centre with so much value to the community and informing visitors of what they can get involved in here, languishes in the back blocks.
It should be where the visitors centre currently is and the visitors centre should be at the Transport Hall of Fame with a feeder road from the Welcome Rock.
Where is our icon? Perhaps we have an iconic drain. Perhaps a giant figure of our early people who started the ball rolling up here-an Afghan cameleer or the Aileron style proud indigenous man or both.
We certainly can do better than a six story residential complex.
There is no provision here for people who want to build individually styled eco villages or communal eco villages as has happened in Adelaide at Christies Close in the heart of Adelaide.
For those who base their decisions on yield per square metre, as so often happens here, land values around Christies Close in the heart of Adelaide actually rose post the development.
It should have happened here.
Well, well, well. Centrecorp using Aboriginal money for your own profit.
Why don’t you build accommodation for the Aboriginal homeless people of Alice Springs, no profits in that, hay Centrecorp.
@ The Man: I guess is depends of which entity is contributing the 50%.
Centrecorp Foundation is a charity, whilst Centrecorp Aboriginal Investment Corporation is and Australian Proprietary Company, limited by shares, so it plans to continue making money, so the bosses can continue to fly business class on domestic flights.
It must be the corporation making the contribution, because they are not interested in housing their people, or perhaps the foundation just wasn’t feeling that charitable.
Well, Well UMMMM.
Now its in the open who bought this land and who is it going to benefit from this.
I wonder if Lhere Artepe knows about this.
Here we go Centrecorp going ahead with their own agenda.