STUDENT ACCOMMODATION DEVELOPMENT PROPOSED FOR CROWN & ANCHOR

a Singaporean developer Has lodged plans to build student accommodation on the site of the Adelaide institution.

Image via @thecrankerhotel (Facebook)

In more devastating news for Adelaide's live music scene, the much loved Crown & Anchor could soon be no more. As revealed by The Advertiser yesterday, a Singaporean developer has lodged plans to transform the site into student accommodation. 

Developer Wee Hur Holdings Ltd wants to convert the land at 188 and 196 Grenfell Street into a multi-level building to house students, with the developer applying for planning permission with the State Planning Commission on Tuesday. As per The Advertiser, the application proposes “partial demolition and adaptive reuse” of the current buildings on the site, alongside an “ancillary shop on the ground floor and associated amenities, services and landscaping.”

It’s unsure how this will impact the Crown & Anchor and the other venues at the address, including the Mediterranean-influenced bar and restaurant Roxie’s, event venue Chateau Apollo and Italian eatery Midnight Spaghetti. Although the Crown & Anchor is heritage listed, the building can still be partly demolished as long as the original facade is kept.

This isn’t the first time the Cranker has come under threat. Ever since South Australian developer Karidis Corporation took over the site in 2016, rumours have swirled about the famous watering hole’s future.

The Kardis Corporation first acquired the land adjacent to the Cranker, at 188 Grenfell Street, in 2013, and immediately put in an application to construct a 13-level apartment building. That ended up going nowhere, but with this latest application, there are fears for the future of the Cranker.

We will keep you updated when more news about the fate of this iconic pub comes to hand.