The Adelaide City Council has shown its support for the Crown & Anchor hotel—affectionately dubbed the “Cranker” by locals—voting to inform the Malinauskas Government about concerns surrounding potential developments that could see the disappearance of another live music venue.
On Tuesday (9 April), a successful motion passed in a city council meeting. Deputy Lord Mayor Keiran Snape urged the Lord Mayor to write to South Australia’s Premier, Peter Malinauskas, and other parliamentary representatives to protect the Crown & Anchor.
Last month, The Music reported that the beloved Adelaide venue, the Crown & Anchor, is in danger of being partially demolished and turned into student accommodation.
The Advertiser recently reported that the Singaporean developer Wee Hur Holdings Ltd. plans to develop the land on 188 and 196 Grenfell Street into multi-storey student accommodation and is seeking planning permission from the State Planning Commission.
According to the report, the developer has proposed “partial demolition and adaptive reuse” of the buildings listed and plots an “ancillary shop on the ground floor and associated amenities, services and landscaping.”
As The Note adds, the Crown & Anchor Hotel is heritage-listed but can be partially demolished if a developer retains the façade.
During the Adelaide City Council meeting, Snape addressed peers in the room like so: “As important as our built heritage is, the Crown and Anchor is so much more than just bricks and mortar,” per In Daily.
Snape added, “It is the heart and soul of our city and the heart and soul of our live music scene, providing many up-and-coming musos and bands the opportunity to perform, grow and reach new audiences.”
Mentioning everyone’s individual experiences at the Cranker, Snape said that each “lived and living culture that the Cranker espouses is, in one word, priceless.”
At the time of publication, the Save the Crown & Anchor Hotel petition has gained 17,710 signatures.
Adelaide is Australia’s first and only UNESCO City of Music. The organisation aims to preserve the city’s cultural heritage, advocate for the value of music, promote South Australian artists on a global level, and connect the South Australian music scene to the UNESCO Creative Cities network.
