South East & Limestone Coast | Developments & News

Developments in Regional South Australia. Including Port Lincoln, Victor Harbor, Wallaroo, Gawler and Mount Barker.
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skyliner
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Re: Naracoorte - goodbye 106 year old convent, hello carpark

#61 Post by skyliner » Thu Feb 25, 2010 6:52 pm

Went to Naracoorte in dec. 2004 - not a lot of historical bldgs at all - a pity about this one. And, Prince George, your comment about significant bldg status and coming up with something better yourself brings greater force in a place relatively devoid of heritage constructions.

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Re: Naracoorte - goodbye 106 year old convent, hello carpark

#62 Post by stumpjumper » Thu Mar 11, 2010 5:50 am

I'll add my agreement to the posters above.

The key to retaining significant old buildings like this one is adaptive reuse. It's a great pity that some commercial use, with appropriate rezoning if necessary, could not have been found for the building that would provide the owner with a return greater than that from carparks. Coffee shops, specialty shops and boutiques, professional offices, art galleries...the list is endless.

Further, if required, a tradeoff may have been possible by allowing a doubling of the carpark levels elsewhere on the site - a simple enough proposition, similar to the extra level built behind the shops on Norwood Parade, behind the Foodland supermarket in North Adelaide or in any of the continuing evolutions of carparking at suburban malls.

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Re: Naracoorte - goodbye 106 year old convent, hello carpark

#63 Post by baytram366 » Mon Mar 15, 2010 2:10 pm

Any photos of what was lost??
Baytram 366's Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/34520752@N07/collections

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Re: Naracoorte - goodbye 106 year old convent, hello carpark

#64 Post by Prince George » Thu Mar 18, 2010 4:09 pm

baytram366 wrote:Any photos of what was lost??
No, but the address was 32 Robertson St Naracoorte. Google street view gives some small glances at the building, but it's hard to see behind overgrown grounds and the construction fence.

*Edit* Actually, I did find one
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Re: Naracoorte - goodbye 106 year old convent, hello carpark

#65 Post by Alyx » Thu Mar 18, 2010 4:24 pm


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Re: Lower South East Pulp Mill

#66 Post by rhino » Wed Apr 21, 2010 2:09 pm

From the Border Watch, via Simon at RailSA:

"All systems go" for pulp mill

The first slab for Penola's proposed $2bn pulp mill is expected to be poured by the end of the year, according to Protavia's John Roche.
He told a Wattle Range Council meeting at Millicent on Tuesday that it was "all systems go" for the project that he announced in 2005.
"We come here to deliver a message, and that message is we will build this pulp mill" Mr Roche told councillors.
"The past few months have been spent in identifying a new chairman, project director and managing director - they will be the people who take the project stage through to construction to operation phase."
Mr Roche indicated applicants had been short-listed and were expected to be appointed within the next week.
"We are in final negotations with the EPA on construction and operation ... from our position it's all systems go," Mr Roche said.
He said the appointments would include people that are leaders in the industry and would be responsible for the construction contract and administering the project until operational hand-over.
“We are working hard to get the slab poured by the end of this year ... building a pulp mill takes a lot of hard work,” Mr Roche said.
“It is relevant at this moment in time to note that the forestry industry in Australia has seen the collapse of some major players. Over the past 15 months we have been to hell and back with all the difficulties such as the global financial crisis and the collapse of Timbercorp and Great Southern,” he said.
“We have seen lots of saw mills across Australia not just close, but talk about closing and billions of dollars wiped off the market value.”
Despite this, Mr Roche took the opportunity to thank the council for its support during this “difficult” period.
Councillors voiced concerns to Mr Roche, questioning whether there were any possible “snags” associated with the project.
“The project is fully approved so not much can go wrong,” Mr Roche said, although acknowledged people living near the mill site were still opposed to the project.
“Let’s be frank, who wants to live next to a pulp mill?” he said.
“We have hired consultants to make sure there is no impediment or major objection.”
Mr Roche said that although Australia was experiencing a difficult problem with the sale of wood chips, the price of pulp was the highest it has been in 10 years.
“Pulp is in high demand and is continually climbing – there is a real market for it,” he said.
The proposed mill could generate 750,000 tonnes of pulp per year, according to Mr Roche.
Mr Roche said the state government has also been very supportive and he was still having ongoing discussions with the federal government.
Mayor Mark Braes concluded the discussion, stating that Mr Roche’s statement was certainly good news.
“I’m sure there would be a lot of people in the region excited about this prospect.”
New Minister for forests Michael O’Brien is in the region today to meet with Mr Roche to discuss the project.
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Re: Lower South East Pulp Mill

#67 Post by skyliner » Wed Apr 21, 2010 4:23 pm

Excellent news Rhino - I have been watching this closely for 2 years - you beat me to it though. Big benefits for the SE - incl. railway, Pt Adelaide and MG. Looked like it would fail for some time - all sorts of reactions in the SE. :D :D :D :D

BTW - just read that the SE lost 9000 jobs from the GFC - MG = 5% unemployment. (SE total pop. 64000 - go figure effects). Result of crash of Timbercorp and. Great Southern. Hence a real windfall for the SE if this mill is built.

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Re: Lower South East Pulp Mill

#68 Post by crawf » Tue Jul 06, 2010 12:44 am

Work to start on $2bn pulp plant
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/sout ... 5888222737
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ALL SET: Plantation Timbers Group general manager Dr John Kellas at a blue gum tree plantation at Mt Gambier yesterday. Picture: CALUM ROBERTSON

A REVITALISED $2 billion Penola pulp mill project will be one of the biggest infrastructure investments in South Australian history, creating 260 jobs and adding more than $500 million to the economy a year.

The project is back on track under the guidance of high-profile Adelaide businessman Greg Boulton and construction could start as early as the middle of next year.

Mr Boulton - the former president of the Port Adelaide Football Club - has been appointed chair- man of the company behind the project, which would employ 260 people full-time and up to 1600 during construction.

$2b mill will revitalise THE Commonwealth Bank has come on board to help raise capital to build the mill and former Amcor Australasia chief operating officer Don Matthews has joined Penola Pulp Mill Pty Ltd as chief executive.

It is good news for the forestry industry in the state's South-East, which has been rocked by the failure of large forestry companies Timbercorp and Great Southern Plantations in 2009, and the loss of 130 jobs at Carter Holt Harvey's Nangwarry mill in February.

The project has been criticised for its potential impact on the water table, however, as well as the possible impact on the endangered red-bellied, black cockatoo, and is sure to attract stiff opposition from environmental groups.

Limestone Coast Regional Development Board chief executive Grant King said it was a "very significant potential investment" for the area.

"It's a critical investment for the region. In terms of the forest industry it's a very important investment and it would be largely welcomed by this community," he said.

"This will underpin a number of new jobs and growth in another part of our forest estate, which is all plantation-based."

The pulp mill, which was previously estimated to cost $1.5 billion, was effectively shelved during the global financial crisis, when ANZ pulled out of a financing deal.

But the Commonwealth has recently come on board and is helping Mr Boulton and Mr Matthews raise $20 million to finalise the design and lock down contracts for the project.

The company hoped to raise this money by September, and would look to raise the $2 billion capital cost of the project by March-June next year.

Mr Boulton said the company hoped to start building the mill, about 7km outside of Penola, almost as soon as the money had been raised.

"It's around about 260 full-time equivalent jobs directly created, and of course the real benefit is the flow on to the community for all of the suppliers, so usually people use a two or three times multiplier effect," he said.

Mr Boulton has a long history of association with the South-East through his role as a director of Mt Gambier-based logistics firm K&S Corporation, which is part of the group of companies built by former transport magnate Allan Scott.

"It will also be very good for the state. The first couple of years of operation our revenue is in the $600 million a year (range)," Mr Boulton said. "It's substantial for the area and South Australia, and I might, dare say, Australia."

Mr Boulton said there was an ample supply of plantation-grown hardwood in the South-East of SA and the south-west of Victoria to meet the mill's needs of 1.5 million tonnes per year.

He said the company was negotiating with the administrators of Timbercorp and Great Southern Plantations for wood supplies and was hoping to have agreements finalised within two months.

"We'll probably take about half of the South-East's timber from 2012 onwards."

Environmental groups have criticised the State Government in the past for passing an indenture Act covering the planning consents for the project that does not require the company to produce a full environmental impact statement.

The Act also guaranteed the mill a water allocation, Mr Boulton said.

The mill has federal environmental approvals and has been assessed by the state Environment Protection Authority.

Possible emissions and the effect on the water table have been at the forefront of concerns raised by local farmers and environmental groups.

State Environment Minister Paul Caica said the Act, which covered the mill would deliver sustainable environmental, social and economic outcomes.

"The environmental concerns of the community were taken into consideration by a parliamentary select committee set up specifically to look at the proposal," he said.

"In its final report, the committee concluded there are sufficient planning and environmental checks and balances in the Penola Pulp Mill Authorisation Act 2007, for a proposal of this nature.

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Re: Lower South East Pulp Mill

#69 Post by skyliner » Tue Jul 06, 2010 3:37 pm

$2bn now eh! But GREAT news for the SE and MG. Flow ons are considerable - Ie the railway and associated operation, Pt Adelaide developments to cater for the exports, the stabilisation of the SE after the GFC and Great Southern/Timbercorp collapses as well as local employment/economic gains, possible reconsideration of rail connection to MG. (a further 40 or so km). :D :D :D

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Re: Lower South East Pulp Mill

#70 Post by rhino » Tue Sep 28, 2010 2:24 pm

Penola pulp mill attracts investor interest
CAMERON ENGLAND From: The Advertiser September 20, 2010 6:01PM

THE first stage investors in the $2 billion Penola pulp mill should be announced by the end of November, Adelaide businessman Greg Boulton says.
The company behind the project, which is chaired by Mr Boulton, was originally looking to raise $20 million by September to finalise the design and lock down contracts.
Mr Boulton said potential investors had already expressed interest in taking larger stakes in the project however.
"We've got about four parties that we're talking to at the moment, which are doing due diligence," he said yesterday.
"All these parties are looking beyond just the $20 million so they're doing quite exhaustive due diligence, and the result of that is we're working that forward, but I don't expect we'll have an answer by the end of September.
"We've got sufficient funds to keep going many, many months, but because they're looking at more detailed due diligence... I'd expect it might be the end of November before we lock it away."
Mr Boulton said the amount of funding the groups wanted to put in varied.
"It's more than likely to be a combination of two or three significant investors because all up we're looking for over $600 million. The signs are encouraging."
The pulp mill, which was previously estimated to cost $1.5 billion, was effectively shelved during the global financial crisis, when ANZ pulled out of a financing deal.
But in July this year Commonwealth Bank came on board to help raise capital to build the mill and former Amcor Australasia chief operating officer Don Matthews joined Penola Pulp Mill Pty Ltd as chief executive.
All up the company is expected to need to raise about $2 billion to build the mill, which it was aiming to get locked away by the middle of next year.
The aim is to start building the mill, about 7km outside of Penola, soon after the money is raised.
The mill is expected to employ 260 people full time and up to 1600 during construction.
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Rhino

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Re: Lower South East Pulp Mill

#71 Post by rhino » Fri Feb 18, 2011 10:38 am

Things have sure turned around in the last 5 months:

Pulp mill dreams end with CEO departure
SARAH MARTIN From: The Advertiser February 17, 2011 12:00AM

PENOLA'S $2 billion pulp mill dream has ended because the project's chief executive has quit over funding.

Construction on the project was planned to start in the middle of this year, employing up to 1600 people during construction and 260 people permanently. It was also expected to add $500 million to the state economy.

But Penola Pulp chief executive Don Matthews and chairman Greg Boulton quit the project in early February, less than a year after they were appointed to revive its fortunes and raise funds for its development.

Mr Boulton said Penola Pulp Pty had been unable to raise sufficient capital to proceed, and an overseas investor was now needed.

It is the latest blow for the South-East, already reeling from the State Government's decision to forward-sell harvest rights, and the recent closure of two Kimberly-Clark factory lines.

Mr Boulton told The Advertiser that the company's shareholders would continue to look overseas for an investment partner. "I think there is still a chance of it getting up, but they (the shareholders) will spend the next six to nine months looking for an overseas participant," he said. "Without that, there are just no other parts to move along."

Wattle Range Council Mayor Peter Gandolfi said the council had not been advised of the management changes. "It's come as a surprise that these members have resigned from the board, given that I have always understood that they were there to seek finance for the project," he said. Earlier this year, Mr Gandolfi criticised the mill's proponents for making announcements on a yearly basis that work was about to start, with nothing actually happening.

Plantation Timbers Group general manager John Kellas said many in the region were sceptical about the project ever going ahead. "It could well be Mary MacKillop's third miracle but until they get financing, it's going nowhere - it's still on the drawing board," he said.

"If the likes of Boulton and Matthews have gone, that indicates they must have done their own personal due diligence about it and made the decision to go." Newly appointed Penola Pulp director Graham Chappel was unavailable for comment.
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Re: Lower South East Pulp Mill

#72 Post by skyliner » Thu Feb 24, 2011 10:54 am

This project is up and down like a yo yo. The SE must be reeling under this and the recent timber issue. Still, there is still hope in otherwise unexplored financial avenues. Coupled with all this is the high Aust $ linked to overseas trade of the pulp mill products. V sad at present about this. The SE and MG will likely suffer population loss under this overall scenario.

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Re: Lower South East Pulp Mill

#73 Post by flavze » Wed Jun 01, 2011 8:03 pm

i will probably be heading to the SE sometime soon as i have been presented with the opportunity to slavage blue gums for firewood.
With the collapse of the industry, Farmers who have leased their land for growing blue gums on aren't being paid. The bulldozers are moving in and they are getting pushed into piles to be burnt.

Don't think there will be a pulp mill anytime soon.

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Re: South East & Limestone Coast | Developments & News

#74 Post by rhino » Wed Oct 08, 2014 9:55 am

ABC South East SA, Mt Gambier , 08:30 News, 07/10/2014:

The Development Assessment Commission is deciding assessment guidelines for a proposed 36 hole international standard golf
course at Nora Creina. John Rau, SA Minister for Planning, gave the proposal major project status in March. Approval is also needed
from the Federal Environment Department.
cheers,
Rhino

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Re: South East & Limestone Coast | Developments & News

#75 Post by flaneur » Sun Jun 10, 2018 1:18 pm

lack of industrial development must fall on past politicians and local government. After the closure of the Snuggery pulp mill, Premier Rann was happy to walk away but pressure not from local mp's but Mr X forced Rann to conduct a $2million report for analternative industry. The report was finalised and and an encouraging find supported by local timber industries found that a CLT industry would be viable and that it would revolutionise the construction industry, estimated cost was about $40 mil, Rann's response was like all reports south of the tollgate to sit on it, the response from local (supposebly Independent) mp's was NIL

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