A beloved Adelaide pub and live music venue, the Crown and Anchor Hotel, has been saved from demolition after a community campaign advocated to protect the cultural significance of the 171-year-old venue.
Locals rallied together to shield the pub from a new development plan that would leave only the heritage-listed façade behind, with the Save The Cranker campaign culminating in a rally on Sunday 18 August.
Taking the stage at the rally, South Australia Premier Peter Malinauskas announced a compromise which would not only save the Crown and Anchor Hotel, affectionately known as the Cranker, but make it the most protected pub in South Australia.
On stage, Malinauskas announced his commitment to preserving the Cranker’s use as a live music venue and hotel, stating: “Tomorrow, I’ll be in Cabinet, bringing in a submission to craft a special purpose piece of legislation that we will introduce into Parliament in one weeks’ time that will save the Cranker.”
Later, he explained that his submission will protect the Cranker by bestowing the developer the rights for an accelerated development approval process, allowing them to build a higher student accommodation facility immediately adjacent to the pub site.
“Live music and development can coexist in our city, and what we want do as a Government is make sure we facilitate that, so that everybody wins,” Malinauskas stated.
“The other element is of course trying to provide more protections for live music in our city beyond just the Cranker, and our bill will do that by establishing rules that make it clear – if you want to develop a site next to a pub that plays live music, then you need to factor in that there will be live music in that venue for a long time to come.”
The announcement marks a significant achievement for the campaign, but it does however mean that neighbouring facilities will be impacted, with CBD bar Roxie’s and multi-purpose event space Chateau Apollo now at risk of closure.
A letter published online by the Save The Cranker campaign oversight board thanked volunteers for their dedication to the protection of the pub, stating: “The Premier and Wee Hur Holdings Ltd have come to an agreement which protects the future of the Cranker as a pub and live music venue.
“While, sadly, this will see the closure of Roxie’s and Chateau Apollo – and temporary closure of the Cranker while soundproofing and construction of student accommodation occurs – it guarantees the Cranker continues to conduct business in perpetuity as it has since 1853.”
The statement acknowledged the support of the community in raising awareness about the erosion of live music in South Australia and the importance of accounting for intangible cultural heritage.
“The Premier’s response also allows for other live music venues to be safeguarded under the same legislation, similar to the ‘agent of change’ principle operating in Melbourne,” it continued.
“This puts the responsibility on new developers to implement soundproofing measures when constructing near an established venue, helping eliminate those pesky noise complaints. It also requires developers to be more considerate about the land they’re purchasing as they are obligated to meet additional soundproofing requirements. This is a huge win.”
