The strength of the East End model, Council’s original vision, for regenerating North Adelaide is that it has a track record of attracting visitors. North Adelaide can only be saved by attracting visitors, not just the residents that either model will bring in.
Visitors potentially come in a constantly replenishing stream much in excess of the resident numbers of a shopping zone’s catchment area. The northern Adelaide catchment has developed several large shopping zones over recent years, such as NorthPark/Sefton Plaza and Churchill Centre, so it’s very unlikely to attract enough shoppers to keep yet more shops in business. Nevertheless this is what is proposed with the mega-build. Added to which the north is a generally less prosperous area than the south or east of the city.
In a centre such as the simplest draw-card for visitors is high quality open space/spaces.
The Council + community’s previous plan had open spaces.
The current plan has effectively none!
There are brilliant and proven options for regeneration in our own city, Leigh and Peel Streets, the East End. With a strong visitor economy plus its historical ambience North Adelaide can be like Tasmania’s Salamanca Place. It can be a growth generator for the north in the same way that we see continual expansion of business activity in Adelaide’s East End.
We Can Do Much Better!
The East End cafe-precinct model is a classic Urban Regeneration model that revives struggling precincts all over the world and is endlessly flexible (compare Leigh and Peel Streets, Plant 4, The Ergo development in Sturt St, Halifax depot in Halifax St and the East End)