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Sitzler, Aboriginal interests in huge dwellings project

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By ERWIN CHLANDA The directors of Melanka Pty Ltd, which will "deliver" 174 multi-level dwellings in Todd Street, are Michael Sitzler, David Ross and Randle Walker. Mr Sitzler is a member of a builders dynasty that started in Alice Springs but moved to Darwin. Its recent Alice Springs projects are the Supreme Court and the six storey apartment building just completed on the eastern side of Todd Street. Mr Ross is the former director of the Central Land Council (CLC) and Mr Walker heads up the Aboriginal investment company Centrecorp which has the CLC, the Central Australian Aboriginal Congress and Tangentyere as shareholders. Chief Minister Eva Lawler said in a release on April 3: "The 180 dwellings in Alice Springs will be delivered over the next four years, with 90 of the dwellings to be used by key workers, and the remainder to be offered for sale and rent in the private market."

Blueprint NT will "deliver" six dwellings in Kilgariff, said Ms Lawler.

Neither she, Mr Sitzler nor Mr Walker would disclose whether the new complex would be built on the land where formerly the Melanka hostel stood, a block that has been empty for some years, but that has been converted to eight story zoning in 2014 for a major project (architect's drawing at top) that never got off the ground. The Ms Lawler and the proponents of this new project will not disclose how much the NT Government will invest nor the costs and rent of the dwellings.UPDATE 4.30pm April 16 Mr Sitzler provided the following statement: The new development being proposed by Melanka PL is on the old Melanka block. There will be six separate buildings, five will be five storeys with one at four storeys. The government is not putting any funding into the development but have agree to lease 72 of the units for government workers and Melanka will lease the balance to interested parties. The overall development cost is approximately $90m and the development will take around four and a half years to complete once commenced.