Patrick_27 wrote: ↑Sun Feb 23, 2025 10:46 pm
This is the precedent set by the state government with these land handouts both here and in Lot 14. We can't expect anything too remarkable for corner site on one of the busiest intersections in the Adelaide CBD with nearby parking and an abundance of PT options, be it a hotel or commercial office building, I'm talking about the 73-75 KWS Hotel proposal. However, the moment the state government puts a call out to "build on our land for free, the only catch is you need to help fund the minimal public realm surrounding your building and build a carpark that will ultimately benefit those who tenant your building", the developers line up with their incredible proposals pushing the height and design ceiling that this city has long struggled overcome, and furthermore commercial tenants line up one by one to get in on it. There is truly nothing remarkable about the offerings at Festival Plaza for a prospective tenant other perhaps than visibility of the building's naming rights OR the landlord behind the building (Walker) is one that you have commercial tenancy arrangements with elsewhere in Australia. Anyone who cannot see the issue here might want to take another look. It's isn't about whether or not this area is parklands (which technically based on legislation, it is) which I agree with Rev, this chunk of land hasn't been 'parkland' (the green kind) for decades and even then it was an extension of Elder Park wrapped around the government printing office (it's carpark and the city baths; it's about the fact that this land is public land that has been handed over to a private consortium to profit from with no gain to those who technically own it (us, the taxpayer) and the same can be said about SkyCity casino and the InterContinental. We can talk all about Adelaide's signature postcard image evolving, but had these sorts of developments been concentrated around Victoria Square or even on the southern side of North Terrace, that postcard image would still have shown a city that's evolving but not at the expense SA taxpayer land.
Is Adelaide's mindset still so far behind the 8-ball that we consider development of this kind to be progressive? Because in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, they have already and continue to buy private land/buildings on the CBD grid wherever they can to create public realm, or in the case of Circular Quay masterplan burying raised freeways and train lines to create open space. If this building was ten storey's high, you'd had lost Viny, he'd spend a month complaining it wasn't tall enough. and then probably joined ranks with those of us voicing our concerns over the location of this build. So let's look at the reality, people are only excited by this because of its size and it's glassy renders, that's all because that's all there is to this.
On the other side of the coin for public spaces is, what's the point on investing tens of millions of tax payer dollars to spruce up these public spaces when they are barely used by said public?
Walker has done up what's left of the plaza, and it was put to great use for the FIFA womens world cup. Great, public funds weren't used to do up the plaza to host one event (an event that cost public funds).
Before that what was the last time it was used in a major way, during fringe for what was it Bario or Lolas?
Another fine example is Victoria Square. Half of it has been done up. When is it used? For the Tour Down Under, the Christmas tree and Tasting Australia and a few cultural festivals? Was used for the Glendi festival during covid and I think a few Indian festivals? It's a place for the homeless to gather around the public toilet block there, they camp out there.
It's barely used outside of that. Putting a few office towers there wouldn't impede the foot traffic through the square - NO I'm not suggesting building on Vic Square lol.
I'm all for these large public spaces, but lets be honest they are hardly used for anything other then foot traffic walking through them.
I think some context should be kept in mind. Ok a part of the public plaza is no longer public. But what benefit would there have been keeping it as a public plaza if that public plaza isn't used and costs tax payers?