[SWP] Lot 14 (Old RAH Site)

[Waewick]

The private hospital would refurb what it could and demolish what can't be fixed.

Remembering the Libs wanted to refurb in the first place.

[Vee]

The private hospital idea is ridiculous. One of the primary reasons for the New RAH was that much of the existing buildings were no longer suitable. That said, I don't agree with the school idea either. One of the concerns about the hospital moving away is the effect it'll have on the East End, and high school students are not going to fill that gap.

Agree with you, Nathan.
The old RAH buildings (rabbit warren, blot on landscape, expensive to refurbish to high tech standard) need to be demolished and the heritage style buildings should be incorporated into Government uses - university, arts etc. not virtually gifted to a private medical centre on what is prime land (excised from the original Botanic Gardens?)

I don't like the high school idea either - there are other options closer to sporting fields eg the police buildings (ramshackle collection) adjacent the old Adelaide Gaol. A school on this North Terrace site won't add the vibe, mix and pedestrian traffic (day/night) to complement and nurture the East End, once the RAH shifts.

I hope neither plan eventuates.

[ml69]

The private hospital idea is ridiculous. One of the primary reasons for the New RAH was that much of the existing buildings were no longer suitable. That said, I don't agree with the school idea either. One of the concerns about the hospital moving away is the effect it'll have on the East End, and high school students are not going to fill that gap.

Agree with you, Nathan.
The old RAH buildings (rabbit warren, blot on landscape, expensive to refurbish to high tech standard) need to be demolished and the heritage style buildings should be incorporated into Government uses - university, arts etc. not virtually gifted to a private medical centre on what is prime land (excised from the original Botanic Gardens?)

I don't like the high school idea either - there are other options closer to sporting fields eg the police buildings (ramshackle collection) adjacent the old Adelaide Gaol. A school on this North Terrace site won't add the vibe, mix and pedestrian traffic (day/night) to complement and nurture the East End, once the RAH shifts.

I hope neither plan eventuates.

I think the idea of a large private hospital for the old RAH site is quite a good idea, as it will continue some of the existing benefits of a having a large medical facility located near the East End.

However this SHOULDN'T be the only use of the site. Throw in some other functions to make the old RAH site truly mixed use .... Such as a new High School, repurposing of the existing heritage buildings into boutique hotel accommodation or extension of University of Adelaide campus.

I actually (now) don't think a new contemporary art gallery and/or Indigenous museum should be located on the old RAH site at all .... A far better location for these galleries and museums is the redeveloped Festival Plaza precinct.

[how good is he]

Bring back the mountain I say...with a cool bar/restaurant with scenic views at the peak and a cable car up.....maybe inside that you have what you want...

[crawf]

I hope neither plan eventuates.

+1

[Vee]

ABC News reports on the different options for the RAH site under the major parties.

SA election: School or health care? Labor and Liberals at odds on RAH site

The future of the current Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH) site is a source of political differences between Labor and the Liberals.

The ALP wants a second CBD high school specialising in health and sciences and says it would open its doors to 1,000 students in 2019.
"There could not be a better site for a new high school," Premier Jay Weatherill.

But Liberal leader Steven Marshall disagrees.
"This is not a logical place for a school," he said.

The Liberals would ask the private sector to bid to build a hospital, aged care home or other health facilities on the current RAH site, in the hope it would more than cover the cost of remediating the asbestos-riddled site.

"Parts of this hospital are absolutely state-of-the-art and we can't see any reason why the taxpayers of South Australia should trash this investment that's been made," Mr Marshall said.

Mr Marshall has conceded Liberal member for Adelaide, Rachel Sanderson, once wanted a high school built on the current RAH site but now says she is behind the Liberal plan.

"She certainly did advocate for it but we looked at all of the possibilities for that site and as a party we made our decision, which is that it would be better to not stick the wrecking ball through that site and the multi-billion-dollar investment that the people of South Australia have made in that medical precinct over an extended period of time," he said.

Labor says its school plan would cost $85 million but it is yet to decide where on the current hospital site to build it or if it will be in existing buildings.

"Our priority is a public school on this site. The Liberals' priority is to privatise the healthcare system," Mr Weatherill said.

A new Royal Adelaide Hospital is under construction at the western end of North Terrace in the city.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-02-24/r ... on/5278730

Actually, Mr Marshall I can't wait to see the "wrecking ball" go through the hideous, multi-storey Stalag-like buildings on part of this site.
And not to privatize a prime public asset.
Aged Care Home??? Nooooooo!!!!

[Nathan]

Aged Care? That'll do wonders for the East End, and I'm sure will cause no issues with events in Botanic Park or Rundle Park.

[monotonehell]

No to an aged care facility. That would be one of the worst fits for this site. So this is another empty idea from the Libs? They don't actually have a use or business case for the site. Just a vague idea of asking "...the private sector to bid to build a hospital, aged care home or other health facilities."

A high school is a good idea for day time activation, but not by itself. The site needs a group of multi use tenants to ensure activity around the clock.

[Waewick]

I doubt it would be aged care, but I don't mind the lease out for hospital for parts that can be retained, it is in the middle of an education area anyway so I can't see the big problem.

Even the High School won't happen, but it would be interesting to see what else could co-exist in the area.

Perhaps one party could just incorporate both ideas.

[[Shuz]]

I agree,. Why can't we have both a new city high school and a private medical complex?

I see the ideal solution as being that a new high school should be constructed on site which takes advantages of the heritage buildings and has additions/extensions in between to link them up. The main 4 towers of the RAH should be demolished and replaced with open space / sporting fields / expansion of the Botanic Gardens.

A new private medical facility could then be established which reuses or has new buildings built where the Adelaide Dental Hospital and the Medical Schools currently are - as they are moving over to new buildings in the City West precinct.

Win for everyone. We get a new city high school to relieve overcrowding at Adelaide High and allows intake of students from a larger 'take-in zone', and we get a new medical facility which will further ease pressure on the healthcare system, which is a massive growth sector in South Australia, given our ageing population (1 in 4 will be over 65 by 2030, I think?).

[monotonehell]

I agree that if a medical facility tenant can be found, then it could be added to the mix of high school and so on.

But no one answered my initial question - "Is there a private hospital which wishes to be located there?"
There seems not to be. The question then is, why would the government be chasing such a tenant when there are no interested parties? I thought the Libs were all about the market.

[obituary resider]

this is the problem with the largely two pronged political system, it's either a or b, depending on who gets voted in. Even if both ideas have equal merit as is the case here. One word, PETTY!

[Norman]

Apparently the operator of the Wakefield Hospital, Cavalry or something like that, is interested.

[skyliner]

Apparently the operator of the Wakefield Hospital, Cavalry or something like that, is interested.

Might be 'Calvary ' (with reference to the hill Christ was crucified on). Good that there IS interest and that some of the site can be used.

ADELAIDE - TOWARDS A GREATER CITY SKYLINE

[ml69]

Apparently the operator of the Wakefield Hospital, Cavalry or something like that, is interested.

Might be 'Calvary ' (with reference to the hill Christ was crucified on). Good that there IS interest and that some of the site can be used.

ADELAIDE - TOWARDS A GREATER CITY SKYLINE

Good opportunity for Calvary to consolidate their two sites in North Adelaide and Wakefield St onto one central location.

There is plenty of room on the RAH site for a private hospital, new city high school, extension of University of Adelaide campus as well as parklands extension.