Apartments, offices and arts precinct being planned for old Royal Adelaide Hospital site amid push to shelve school
One of the RAH heritage listed buildings that will stay. Source: The Advertiser
APARTMENTS, offices and a major arts and cultural precinct are being considered for the 5.8ha old Royal Adelaide Hospital site, as part of a push to shelve plans for a high school there.
It is understood major developers are set to be asked within weeks to prepare expressions of interest in redeveloping the site, which is unrivalled in Adelaide’s CBD and will become vacant when the hospital moves to its new West End site next year.
This is likely to result in multi-million dollar concept plans by the end of the year for a major housing and commercial development, in return for which, it is understood a successful developer would be asked to substantially fund a major arts and cultural space.
The plans are also expected to reuse many of the existing 25 buildings.
The plans for the RAH are also expected to include a music performance area, returning some land to the adjacent Adelaide Botanic Garden, restaurants, cafes and a hotel.
Plans for a high school on the current Royal Adelaide Hospital site may have been shelved.
Senior Government sources have told The Advertiser that consideration is being given to locating the new school elsewhere in the East End, or near the existing Adelaide High School, on West Tce.
Planning Minister John Rau in February refused to rule out suggestions that another site would be chosen for the second CBD high school for 1000 students by 2019, promised by Labor at last year’s election.
Mr Rau, in a written statement, yesterday said only: “At this point, no decision has been made.”
The push for a major commercial redevelopment of the old RAH site, coupled with an arts and cultural space, is being driven by the need to have the site used throughout the day and night, as it currently is by the hospital.
Plans for a high school on the current Royal Adelaide Hospital site may have been shelved.
Senior Government sources have told The Advertiser that consideration is being given to locating the new school elsewhere in the East End, or near the existing Adelaide High School, on West Tce.
Planning Minister John Rau in February refused to rule out suggestions that another site would be chosen for the second CBD high school for 1000 students by 2019, promised by Labor at last year’s election.
Mr Rau, in a written statement, yesterday said only: “At this point, no decision has been made.”
The push for a major commercial redevelopment of the old RAH site, coupled with an arts and cultural space, is being driven by the need to have the site used throughout the day and night, as it currently is by the hospital.
This is to ensure East End and Rundle St businesses keep the benefit of having significant numbers of people in the area beyond school hours and, critically, on weekends.
Lord Mayor Martin Haese told The Advertiser he backed a mixed-use development, including some facilities for the nearby universities, arts areas, medical uses, offices, homes, and the return of some land to the Botanic Garden.
Mr Haese said the area needed to be “activated” on weekends, in particular, or a significant opportunity to enliven the East End would be squandered.
The Lord Mayor suggested the heritage buildings along Frome Rd be transformed into up-market hotels and those on North Tce be used for a globally significant arts or cultural tourism area.
Mr Haese also suggested an open pedestrian corridor to connect Frome Rd to the Botanic Garden.
Riverbank Authority chairman Andrew McEvoy, whose group co-ordinates development on the old RAH site, last month trumpeted its potential to business leaders at a Brand South Australia seminar.
“I think there’s a significant opportunity for something really exciting at the old Royal Adelaide site,” the former Tourism Australia chief said.
It is understood the Government’s process for the old RAH site will involve publicly seeking expressions of interest from developers for 60 days, starting next month or in July. These will then be winnowed to about two to four developers, which would then develop master plans.
By the end of this year, the State Government would then have a firm idea of market-driven plans for site.
An arts, cultural or similar major public space would be significantly funded by a successful developer, in a model similar to that used for the Festival Centre precinct or Sydney Harbour’s giant Barangaroo precinct.
Property tycoon Lang Walker is funding a 1560-space carpark as part of the $610 million Festival Plaza redevelopment announced in March; the 6ha Barangaroo Point park will be funded by developers of a commercial precinct.
Labor committed $85 million before last March’s state election to building the new high school, which would specialise in health and sciences.
Announcing the Government’s vision for the site in February last year, Premier Jay Weatherill said the final master plan would allow for “small” commercial ventures, but the “dominant” use would be public education.
The Liberals in February warned Labor was preparing to break the promise to build the school there, citing Mr Rau’s statement to Parliament that “a very detailed consideration” of options for the “complex” site was being undertaken.
Senior Labor sources told The Advertiser the promise was conceived as part of an unsuccessful bid to recapture the seat of Adelaide and voters likely would not be overly distressed if the high school were developed elsewhere.
Before the state election, the Liberals vowed to continue the old RAH as a private medical precinct.
East End property tycoon Theo Maras this week branded the RAH site Australia’s best undeveloped city site.
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