North Adelaide Property Sale
At its November 2023 meeting, the General Church Board (GCB) resolved to place the church’s North Adelaide properties (occupied by Australian Lutheran College and the Churchwide Office) on the market. This decision followed 12 months of careful deliberation. A short-term property adviser was engaged to oversee matters relating to the sale and the purchase of a suitable new location for ALC and the Churchwide Office. The property was listed for sale in early April, and there has been considerable local and national media interest.
Background
The Australian Lutheran College (ALC) has served the church well from its North Adelaide campus for many decades. The campus is fondly remembered by students and teaching staff as a hub of Christian community and personal growth. However, the North Adelaide campus is now largely under-utilised with very limited use of some buildings. The cost of maintaining the site, largely due to the heritage listing of the 1880s building known as Hebart Hall, is approximately $400,000 per annum. Further, ALC’s move to a distributed learning model means the site is no longer necessary for its operations. With the college’s onsite community decreasing and buildings not being used, theft and vandalism have also become regular problems.
The Churchwide Office, located in a sprawling 1930s complex built for other purposes, is inconsistent with modern workplace design and practice. ‘The land and buildings are no longer serving the church well, and they are unlikely to meet its future needs’, Brett Hausler, Executive Officer of the Church, said. ‘While the North Adelaide site has been a blessing to the church over many years, it has been appropriate to review its purpose.’
In January 2024, a short-term property adviser was appointed to facilitate the sale of the LCANZ’s Churchwide Office (CWO) and Australian Lutheran College (ALC) sites in North Adelaide.
Significant work has been undertaken over the past year, including: reviewing the heritage and planning requirements, such as listed buildings and significant trees; clarifying the needs of local council and heritage bodies; obtaining subdivision approval for the existing land to provide flexibility for redevelopment or its sale; and exploring buildings around Adelaide for possible relocation.
The properties were listed for sale in early April. There has been considerable interest in the sale from local and national media outlets, as well as from prospective buyers.
It is envisaged that the proceeds of the sale will be used to buy a fit-for-purpose building that will serve the needs of ALC, the Churchwide Office and, possibly, other Lutheran entities. Surplus funds are likely to be devoted to building mission and ministry sustainability into the future.
The church’s North Adelaide properties – occupied by Australian Lutheran College (ALC) and the LCA Churchwide Office – were listed for sale in early April. There has been considerable interest in the sale from local and national media outlets, as well as from prospective buyers.
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