A freshly elected council in suburban Adelaide has reversed a decision that could have resulted in the demolition of the Marion Cultural Centre.
At a meeting on 27 November the City of Marion councillors voted to approve the motion that the council “guarantees the retention of the Current Marion Cultural Centre Building and its services.”
The eponymously shaped building, designed by ARM Architecture and Phillips Pilkington Architects and built in 2002, was the subject of an expression of interest process by the local council, which called for qualified organizations to develop and operate a hotel on the site.
The EOI process was opened after the council received an unsolicited proposal for a hotel development on the site. The council says that a hotel would “overcome a severe shortage of accommodation in southern Adelaide and create jobs and local investment.”
Submissions were closed in August, and at a meeting of the council on 18 September, it considered proposals received in the EOI and “resolved not to progress to the next stage,” Council elections were held on 9 November.
The news of the possible demolition of the building drew particular protest from the local architectural community. A petition on Change.org drew more than 1,500 signatures, and a nomination for state heritage listing was lodged with the South Australian Department for Environment and Water. The nomination notes that the building is of state heritage significance as a “unique and exemplary work of contemporary architecture.”
In written comments attached to the motion, the council said the decision was “aligned to the community feedback,” and that the motion “also supports any future renewal of the facility to ensure it continues to deliver highly quality community and cultural services.”
The state heritage listing nomination was also noted by the council in its written decision, which said that an assessment report will be referred to the heritage council by February 2019.
