[COM] Victoria Square Upgrade - $24m

[Will]

There are several flags flying in Grote st just off Victoria Sq. Does anyone know what the blue/green one is? Its got a sort of horseshoe design on it with a star inside.

It's probabaly the Torres Strait Islands flag.

[harryjotter]

Thanks Will, it certainly is and I've just Googled it for a full description & history.If only all life's questions cd be answered so quickly and accurately....................

[mattblack]

Well, the ACC has come out with a stategic plan. If its anywhere near as good as the world squares featured it would suprise the hell out of most of us i'd say. Anyway, heres hoping ....

http://www.adelaidecitycouncil.com/adcc ... ciples.pdf

[ghs]

I was wondering if any one heard about the counsil approving a 15 story ferris wheek for victoria square??

I heard it on Nova this morning..

hilarious...

ah, i retract my "hilarious" comment above. Seems a temporary 15storey Ferris Wheel is proposed for VSQ to coincide with the Fringe & Clipsal events. Not sure if this is planned for 2009, or 2010 though.

[edit] found an online article:

Adelaide City Council last night approved the operation of a SkyView Observation Wheel in Victoria Square/Tarndanyangga from 16 February to 26 March 2009, which will coincide with the Fringe Festival and the Clipsal 500.

It will be 46m (15 storeys) high.

The relocatable wheel has 36 luxury wheelchair accessible and air-conditioned gondolas with room for 220 people (1200 per hour) and includes an audio computerised system for commentary.

The SkyView Observation Wheel has been in Australia for 18 months and previously appeared at Sydney's Darling Harbour, and the Sydney and Melbourne Royal Shows.

There will be a charge to ride the wheel with the Council saying a percentage of ticket sales will be donated to local charities.

vsq-wheel1.jpg

What happened to this one....... ???

[Legga]

i emailed the ACC about this (around mid Jan) and they confirmed it was going up.

[Legga]

got this email back from the ACC today.

"The owners have backed off due to the GFC unfortunately...another victim of the current climate!"

[Ben]

From The Messenger:

Giant wheel detours festival
by Adam Todd

A FORTY-six metre high ferris wheel will not operate in Victoria Square during Mad March as originally planned after falling victim to the global financial crisis.

The SkyView Observation Wheel was already supposed to be running to coincide with the upcoming Fringe Festival and Clipsal 500.

SkyView project manager Peter Hiland said this week the relocatable 15-storey wheel, which features 36 passenger gondolas and can carry up to 220 people, would
not be coming to Adelaide.

“Due to the economic situation at the moment, we’ve had to re-look at our timing, so we’re working with the council to determine a new time that we feel it will benefit all stakeholders,” he told the City Messenger.

Mr Hiland said families were re-assessing how they spent their enter entainment dollar.

“With competition with the Clipsal and the Fringe festival, it may have diluted the capacity for people to be able to enjoy it.

“The original idea was to bring it into the area to complement these activities.

“But evaluating everything, particularly the current economic environment, it was asked whether it would be a value-add for people or an additional expense.”

The ferris wheel was supposed to operate from February 16 to March 26. Mr Hiland said he hoped he could bring it to Adelaide later this year. “We haven’t determined a new date, but I’m in discussions with the council ... we want to make it work.”

The wheel was most recently located at Sydney’s Darling Harbour during the Christmas holiday period and has appeared at the Sydney and Melbourne Royal
Shows. There are similar ferris wheels in London and Kuala Lumpur.

Lord Mayor Michael Harbison: “We’re certainly keen to see the attraction if they
want to come back.”

[Ben]

So seems we'll end up with a few new trees ... yay

From The Messenger:

Vic Square hopes downsized

by Adam Todd

STILL WAITING: Town Hall could be forced to scale back its Victoria Square upgrade.
THE long-awaited Victoria Square upgrade, which is running months behind schedule, may have to be scaled down due to a funding shortfall.

Town Hall has failed to secure any outside funding for the project, prompting concerns all it can afford is “some grass and some trees”.

Lord Mayor Michael Harbison conceded last week the council would look at a “smaller project” if it could not source outside funds. He said securing State or Federal Government funding was the project’s “big challenge”.

The council had budgeted about $10 million over the next three years for the upgrade.

Estimates put the cost of an underpass, the centrepiece of previous proposals, at between $30-50 million.

Meantime, Town Hall has been meeting with architects and engineers in recent weeks as it continues to select a team of consultants to create a masterplan.

The team was supposed to have been finalised by December last year, according to the council’s own timeline for the redevelopment, released in October. Mr Harbison said he was confident the project was on track. Construction is due to start next July.

However other councillors were less optimistic. Cr Ralph Clarke said the project would be “half-arsed and mediocre” if it was solely funded by the council.

Deputy Lord Mayor Stephen Yarwood said he was committed to “getting the soil turned before the next election”, although this would largely depend on outside funding.

“It literally is at a point where everything is up in the air and it is impossible to determine the final state,” he said.

Cr Anne Moran said it had been “months” since councillors had been updated on the project. “There hasn’t been an update since setting out the roadmap for it (in October 2008).”

Property Council SA Nathan Paine said he was concerned what Town Hall’s modest budget would buy.

“You’re talking about some grass and some trees, you’re not talking much,” he said.

However, Business SA Peter Vaughan said he was not bothered by the slow progress being made.

“Fundamentally, who cares?” he said.

“We’ve been waiting 25 years, it’s had a longer history than the O’Connell St bombsite, life goes on and it is my view that the centre of the city is gravitating towards North Tce anyway.”

Mr Vaughan said the council should instead focus on upgrading Hindley and Rundle streets. “Let’s forget about trying to resurrect the dead because Victoria Square will not be fixed.”

[joshzxzx]

I guess its back to the drawing board for another 20years...

[ozisnowman]

Mr Vaughan go back to that rock you crawled out from under you slimy snake.
North Terrace the centre of Adelaide... Its idiots like you who are keeping
development back. It is however good to see that others are finally seeing
the light with the Edge, Wave, 400 King William, SA Water 1 Victoria Square,
Coglin St etc and hopefully the Angas St Police Headquaters, Spire and CC8 etc.
Adelaide has plenty of space and derelict warehouses that will ensure that future
development finally starts heading south, east, west etc and finally Victoria Square
will be at its hearts. Where can you go from North Terrace you snake, the stinky
swamp called the Torrens.

[SRW]

It's really up to the State Government to pull its finger out and allocate some funding ($100m at the least) to the project. Ultimately, however, I'd just like to have a firm proposal/masterplan that we can work towards. Funding can be sorted out later. And truly, we can always wait until such time as we can have worthy funding for a worthy upgrade.

However, Business SA Peter Vaughan said he was not bothered by the slow progress being made.

“Fundamentally, who cares?” he said.

“We’ve been waiting 25 years, it’s had a longer history than the O’Connell St bombsite, life goes on and it is my view that the centre of the city is gravitating towards North Tce anyway.”

Mr Vaughan said the council should instead focus on upgrading Hindley and Rundle streets. “Let’s forget about trying to resurrect the dead because Victoria Square will not be fixed.”

I'm sorry, but that's an unusually defeatist attitude from Mr Vaughan. It's also incorrect. The centre of the city has always been around North Terrace, but has lately been gravitating south. Which is entirely irrelevant to the need to upgrade public space throughout the city -- the Square, Rundle and Hindley all. The Square just happens to be in a more dire state.

Mr Vaughan go back to...

This forum will not be seen as a legitimate place of discussion if personal attacks like that are let loose. Please address the merits of the argument, not the person arguing it.

[crawf]

The State Government should at least chip in

[Radelaide]

disappointing response from mr vaughan. very defeatist.

[Professor]

As a resident of the CBD and a long-time advocate of fixing up Victoria Square (or more accurately un-wrecking it), while bearing in mind the ability of the ACC to maintain a long-term addiction to doing absolutely nothing, my only comment on this latest public debate is...


Yaaaawn..

[Wayno]

don't forget guys, there's an election looming - i wonder which party will be the first to offer the cash?!? the suspense is too much...