Frequently asked questions about Shed 26
What is Shed 26 and why is it important?
Shed 26 sits on the eastern end of Semaphore Road, behind the Glanville train station and adjacent to Newport Quays redevelopment in New Port, on the inner harbour of Port Adelaide, South Australia.
Once an important feature of the bustling Glanville Dockyards, Shed 26 is now the last surviving sawtooth shed in the inner harbour of Port Adelaide. In fact, it will soon become the last wharf shed of the inner harbour after Shed 1 (currently known as the Fishermen’s Wharf Markets), next door to the Port Adelaide Lighthouse, is demolished.
Outside of state heritage listed Hart’s Mill and Fletcher’s Slip, Shed 26 is the last remaining significant maritime artefact on the Port Adelaide inner harbour waterfront. Shed 26’s history, look and physical location visually connects Port Adelaide’s harbour to LeFevre Peninsula. It represents an eye-catching and iconic reminder of the culture and history of the Port of Adelaide, and the contribution of generations of workers and their families to South Australia.
Who is responsible for Shed 26?
In 2016, Perth-based national property development company Cedar Woods won a tender to develop Port Adelaide’s North West and Fletcher’s Slip precincts, where Shed 26 is located. In November 2018, Shed 26 was transferred to Cedar Woods by the South Australian Government via their agency Renewal SA, for the sum of $2.
To win the tender to develop the North West Precinct Cedar Woods was required to include Shed 26 in their proposed plan. Cedar Wood knew from the get-go that Shed 26 was to be incorporated into the development!
Why has Shed 26 not been fixed up so far?
Shed 26, and its current condition, is not the cause of the stagnation of land and property development in Port Adelaide. Its predicament is part of a long history.
In 2012, the Weatherill Labor Government cancelled its contract with the New Port Quays consortium for the redevelopment of the Port Adelaide inner harbour after the failure of this development - first approved in 2002 - on many fronts.
The South Australian Government then undertook a new community consultation and master-planning process, which resulted in new plans and tenders, including Cedar Woods’ successful bid for the North West and Fletcher’s Slip precincts in 2016.
Until very recently Shed 26 has appeared on all South Australian Government and Cedar Woods’ maps and ‘artist impressions’ of what the new development will look like. Its adaptation for a new and vibrant use is encouraged in the SA Government’s own Port Adelaide Precinct Plan and in the City of Port Adelaide Enfield’s Development Plan.
In other words, until very recently when Cedar Woods finally commented to InDaily in late 2018 that they would demolish the building, Shed 26 was much closer to being adapted within what could be a world class waterfront redevelopment project.
Contrary to comments by Cedar Woods, the Property Council of SA and the Government, it is absolutely not true that no one has taken an interest in Shed 26 until now. Shed 26 has been an important part of all consultation and discussion of Port Adelaide’s redevelopment for almost twenty years; and the only reason nothing has occurred there is because of it has been a pawn in the complex and flawed process of development of government-owned land in Port Adelaide.
Would keeping Shed 26 mean that it would stay as it looks now?
Absolutely not. In fact, everyone advocating for keeping Shed 26 wants to see it adapted for use within a modern redevelopment of this important site. No one wants its current dilapidated condition to continue. Refer to our Imagine page for some ideas about how it could be adaptively re-used.
Heritage listing and adaptation would ensure the contemporary renovation of Shed 26. It is important to note that the current condition of the building does not preclude it from heritage listing; in fact to assert that only ‘beautiful’ buildings should be kept, adapted or listed is deeply at odds with the values of Port Adelaide and its community, as well as State heritage principles.
What are the possibilities for Shed 26?
The possibilities for adaptive reuse of the Shed 26 structure, as a feature within a new urban development on the larger site, are endless and exciting.
Port cities around the world have adapted wharf sheds and other historic buildings for use as public institutions, private housing, and mixed private-public use. Adaptation brings long-term value to land redevelopment for communities and property owners alike, attracts interstate and international visitors, and encourages new residents to choose to live in Port Adelaide and surrounding suburbs.
Acclaimed Australian architect Robert Morris-Nunn (of Hobart waterfront fame) believes Shed 26 presents the best opportunity in Port Adelaide for adaptive reuse. Please see many examples of how we can #imagineShed26 here.
The Save Our Shed 26 campaign is fighting for the revitalisation of Port Adelaide through visionary new urban development that retains the existing historical character of our Port. In the longer-term, well after the first sales of new housing, this approach will be far more beneficial – economically and culturally - for our community.
Why was Shed 26 heritage-listed and then removed from the State Heritage register?
After an application made by the Port of Adelaide branch of the National Trust, on 6 December 2018 the South Australian Heritage Council, a panel of heritage experts appointed by the Government, provisionally listed Shed 26 on the South Australian Heritage Register. The provisional listing of Shed 26 stopped the proposed demolition of the building to enable a full heritage assessment to be prepared by Heritage South Australia.
The SA Heritage Council invited written public submissions and received its largest ever response, with 80% of the submissions in support of state heritage listing.
On 22 March 2019, the SA Heritage Council voted to support the permanent state heritage listing of Shed 26, finding that it met four criteria for state heritage (a, d, f and g). Shed 26 only needed to meet one criteria to be state heritage listed.
Shortly after the meeting, Minister for Environment and Water, David Speirs MP,wrote to SAHC chairperson Keith Conlon asking him to defer any decision on permanent listing while he considered whether to use his power in the Heritage Places Act to scrap its listing altogether. On 17 April 2019, Minister Speirs used his powers under the Heritage Places Act to direct the SA Heritage Council to remove Shed 26 from the SA State Heritage Register.
On the 29 April, developer Cedar Woods fenced off Shed 26 from public access and engaged The Old Red Brick Company to commence demolition.
What is currently happening with demolition?
As of the week of May 27, demolition is currently stalled due to SafeWork concerns about the safety of the demolition site after the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) and the Communications, Electrical and Plumbing Union (CEPU) found over 50 breaches of workplace health and safety law on the worksite.
What about asbestos?
Shed 26 has asbestos cement sheeting covering its roof, with the walls of the shed clad in corrugated iron and brick.
Asbestos in any building has to be removed and disposed of with great care and at cost. This involves the same care and cost whether the building is to be demolished or adaptively reused in some way. It is a given that this will need to occur whatever the future of Shed 26.
Using asbestos as an argument for demolishing the building is a furphy. Removing and replacing a roof such as Shed 26’s is an occurrence which happens regularly. More info here
However, it needs to be done safely.
If Shed 26 was to be adaptatively reused, removal of asbestos would occur in a slow and careful manner. However currently there are grave concerns about the manner in which Cedar Woods’ contractor The Old Red Brick Company is handling asbestos removal and other safety concerns on the Shed 26 demolition worksite.
What can I do?
Save Shed 26 and the local community are holding regular protests and other events. Stay in touch via this website and facebook.
Write to your State and Local representatives, and to Cedar Woods – their contact details are here
What about the City of Port Adelaide Enfield Council?
Currently the City of Port Adelaide Enfield have very little power over the site. However, this is a community issue and we encourage the Council’s elected members, CEO and senior directors to support our campaign.
The Council, at its November 2018 meeting, unanimously adopted a resolution, “that the City of Port Adelaide Enfield Council write to Minister Knoll, Minister for Planning and Infrastructure, that we would like to remind the Minister of Council’s policy to retain and seek adaptive reuse for historic and/or significant buildings within the Port Adelaide precinct.”
We encourage you to write to the City of Port Adelaide Enfield about this issue, or copy them into correspondence with State representatives and Cedar Woods; their contact details are here.
Who is part of the Shed 26 campaign?
Anyone who wants to be part of saving Shed 26 and imagining its future can be involved (see above for what you can do). The contributors to this website and campaign are all long-term residents of Port Adelaide and the LeFevre Peninsula.
Shed 26 sits on the eastern end of Semaphore Road, behind the Glanville train station and adjacent to Newport Quays redevelopment in New Port, on the inner harbour of Port Adelaide, South Australia.
Once an important feature of the bustling Glanville Dockyards, Shed 26 is now the last surviving sawtooth shed in the inner harbour of Port Adelaide. In fact, it will soon become the last wharf shed of the inner harbour after Shed 1 (currently known as the Fishermen’s Wharf Markets), next door to the Port Adelaide Lighthouse, is demolished.
Outside of state heritage listed Hart’s Mill and Fletcher’s Slip, Shed 26 is the last remaining significant maritime artefact on the Port Adelaide inner harbour waterfront. Shed 26’s history, look and physical location visually connects Port Adelaide’s harbour to LeFevre Peninsula. It represents an eye-catching and iconic reminder of the culture and history of the Port of Adelaide, and the contribution of generations of workers and their families to South Australia.
Who is responsible for Shed 26?
In 2016, Perth-based national property development company Cedar Woods won a tender to develop Port Adelaide’s North West and Fletcher’s Slip precincts, where Shed 26 is located. In November 2018, Shed 26 was transferred to Cedar Woods by the South Australian Government via their agency Renewal SA, for the sum of $2.
To win the tender to develop the North West Precinct Cedar Woods was required to include Shed 26 in their proposed plan. Cedar Wood knew from the get-go that Shed 26 was to be incorporated into the development!
Why has Shed 26 not been fixed up so far?
Shed 26, and its current condition, is not the cause of the stagnation of land and property development in Port Adelaide. Its predicament is part of a long history.
In 2012, the Weatherill Labor Government cancelled its contract with the New Port Quays consortium for the redevelopment of the Port Adelaide inner harbour after the failure of this development - first approved in 2002 - on many fronts.
The South Australian Government then undertook a new community consultation and master-planning process, which resulted in new plans and tenders, including Cedar Woods’ successful bid for the North West and Fletcher’s Slip precincts in 2016.
Until very recently Shed 26 has appeared on all South Australian Government and Cedar Woods’ maps and ‘artist impressions’ of what the new development will look like. Its adaptation for a new and vibrant use is encouraged in the SA Government’s own Port Adelaide Precinct Plan and in the City of Port Adelaide Enfield’s Development Plan.
In other words, until very recently when Cedar Woods finally commented to InDaily in late 2018 that they would demolish the building, Shed 26 was much closer to being adapted within what could be a world class waterfront redevelopment project.
Contrary to comments by Cedar Woods, the Property Council of SA and the Government, it is absolutely not true that no one has taken an interest in Shed 26 until now. Shed 26 has been an important part of all consultation and discussion of Port Adelaide’s redevelopment for almost twenty years; and the only reason nothing has occurred there is because of it has been a pawn in the complex and flawed process of development of government-owned land in Port Adelaide.
Would keeping Shed 26 mean that it would stay as it looks now?
Absolutely not. In fact, everyone advocating for keeping Shed 26 wants to see it adapted for use within a modern redevelopment of this important site. No one wants its current dilapidated condition to continue. Refer to our Imagine page for some ideas about how it could be adaptively re-used.
Heritage listing and adaptation would ensure the contemporary renovation of Shed 26. It is important to note that the current condition of the building does not preclude it from heritage listing; in fact to assert that only ‘beautiful’ buildings should be kept, adapted or listed is deeply at odds with the values of Port Adelaide and its community, as well as State heritage principles.
What are the possibilities for Shed 26?
The possibilities for adaptive reuse of the Shed 26 structure, as a feature within a new urban development on the larger site, are endless and exciting.
Port cities around the world have adapted wharf sheds and other historic buildings for use as public institutions, private housing, and mixed private-public use. Adaptation brings long-term value to land redevelopment for communities and property owners alike, attracts interstate and international visitors, and encourages new residents to choose to live in Port Adelaide and surrounding suburbs.
Acclaimed Australian architect Robert Morris-Nunn (of Hobart waterfront fame) believes Shed 26 presents the best opportunity in Port Adelaide for adaptive reuse. Please see many examples of how we can #imagineShed26 here.
The Save Our Shed 26 campaign is fighting for the revitalisation of Port Adelaide through visionary new urban development that retains the existing historical character of our Port. In the longer-term, well after the first sales of new housing, this approach will be far more beneficial – economically and culturally - for our community.
Why was Shed 26 heritage-listed and then removed from the State Heritage register?
After an application made by the Port of Adelaide branch of the National Trust, on 6 December 2018 the South Australian Heritage Council, a panel of heritage experts appointed by the Government, provisionally listed Shed 26 on the South Australian Heritage Register. The provisional listing of Shed 26 stopped the proposed demolition of the building to enable a full heritage assessment to be prepared by Heritage South Australia.
The SA Heritage Council invited written public submissions and received its largest ever response, with 80% of the submissions in support of state heritage listing.
On 22 March 2019, the SA Heritage Council voted to support the permanent state heritage listing of Shed 26, finding that it met four criteria for state heritage (a, d, f and g). Shed 26 only needed to meet one criteria to be state heritage listed.
Shortly after the meeting, Minister for Environment and Water, David Speirs MP,wrote to SAHC chairperson Keith Conlon asking him to defer any decision on permanent listing while he considered whether to use his power in the Heritage Places Act to scrap its listing altogether. On 17 April 2019, Minister Speirs used his powers under the Heritage Places Act to direct the SA Heritage Council to remove Shed 26 from the SA State Heritage Register.
On the 29 April, developer Cedar Woods fenced off Shed 26 from public access and engaged The Old Red Brick Company to commence demolition.
What is currently happening with demolition?
As of the week of May 27, demolition is currently stalled due to SafeWork concerns about the safety of the demolition site after the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) and the Communications, Electrical and Plumbing Union (CEPU) found over 50 breaches of workplace health and safety law on the worksite.
What about asbestos?
Shed 26 has asbestos cement sheeting covering its roof, with the walls of the shed clad in corrugated iron and brick.
Asbestos in any building has to be removed and disposed of with great care and at cost. This involves the same care and cost whether the building is to be demolished or adaptively reused in some way. It is a given that this will need to occur whatever the future of Shed 26.
Using asbestos as an argument for demolishing the building is a furphy. Removing and replacing a roof such as Shed 26’s is an occurrence which happens regularly. More info here
However, it needs to be done safely.
If Shed 26 was to be adaptatively reused, removal of asbestos would occur in a slow and careful manner. However currently there are grave concerns about the manner in which Cedar Woods’ contractor The Old Red Brick Company is handling asbestos removal and other safety concerns on the Shed 26 demolition worksite.
What can I do?
Save Shed 26 and the local community are holding regular protests and other events. Stay in touch via this website and facebook.
Write to your State and Local representatives, and to Cedar Woods – their contact details are here
What about the City of Port Adelaide Enfield Council?
Currently the City of Port Adelaide Enfield have very little power over the site. However, this is a community issue and we encourage the Council’s elected members, CEO and senior directors to support our campaign.
The Council, at its November 2018 meeting, unanimously adopted a resolution, “that the City of Port Adelaide Enfield Council write to Minister Knoll, Minister for Planning and Infrastructure, that we would like to remind the Minister of Council’s policy to retain and seek adaptive reuse for historic and/or significant buildings within the Port Adelaide precinct.”
We encourage you to write to the City of Port Adelaide Enfield about this issue, or copy them into correspondence with State representatives and Cedar Woods; their contact details are here.
Who is part of the Shed 26 campaign?
Anyone who wants to be part of saving Shed 26 and imagining its future can be involved (see above for what you can do). The contributors to this website and campaign are all long-term residents of Port Adelaide and the LeFevre Peninsula.
