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The Government of South Australia calls on leading developers, consortia and organisations to participate in a unique opportunity to develop a world-class mixed use precinct in Adelaide’s CBD.

To be located on the site of the existing Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH), the new development represents an opportunity not only to transform Adelaide’s CBD, but also to generate more than half a billion dollars of investment in South Australia.

Expressions of interest will open today to jointly plan, and then redevelop, the prime seven-hectare site.

Urging companies from South Australia, nationally and around the world to provide an innovative vision for the site, Acting Premier John Rau said that the site in Adelaide’s CBD presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create an internationally acclaimed mixed use precinct. The State Government is seeking developers and consortia of national or international standing with proven experience in delivering large scale complex mixed use projects.

According to Rau, the developer that takes on this project will need to be creative and innovative whilst also having the financial strength to execute such a major development. He added that the plans also needed to provide a significant number of opportunities for people to live and work on the site. The site could support 370 direct and indirect jobs per year over an estimated 10 years of construction.

Proposals for the site will need to deliver an economic benefit to the State, create a significant number of jobs, support Adelaide’s East End and CBD, and connect with the Riverbank’s Health and Biomedical Precinct, contributing to the city’s rejuvenation. Six heritage buildings on the site additionally present an excellent opportunity for innovative reuse in line with the recent trend to transform and repurpose heritage properties in Adelaide’s CBD.

The unique RAH site is a crucial part of the wider Riverbank Precinct, which has seen $4.7 billion in investment in the past five years with almost $1 billion of projects in the pipeline including an upgraded Festival Centre and Plaza. Opportunities for the precinct include residential, retail, hotel, commercial, health, education and cultural facilities.

Rau notes that the RAH site offers an exciting urban renewal opportunity supporting a unique and innovative mix of land uses not seen before in Adelaide.

Renewal SA is seeking expressions of interest on behalf of the State Government from master developers, consortia and individual organisations to work with the Government to plan and redevelop all or part of the site.

Key objectives for the RAH site include creating a world class precinct that features world class buildings and public spaces, and becomes a tourism or cultural attraction; having an economic focus, including creating job opportunities; activating the area through a mix of uses including cultural, commercial and recreational; strengthening connections to the East End, Riverbank educational and cultural precinct along North Terrace, and to the Botanic Gardens; and focussing on sustainability, supporting a carbon neutral city and achieving best practice in sustainable design.

EOI will close on 1 September. There will be a three-stage process to identify suitable proponent/s, followed by requests for proposals in October/November, leading to negotiations with a preferred proponent contracted in December.

The IMVS buildings, Women’s Health Centre Building, Eleanor Harrald Building and Margaret Graham Building will be retained by SA Health in the short term for pathology and health administration; however these buildings will form part of the longer term master plan for the site.

Renewal SA has appointed commercial real estate agents JLL as agents for the EOI process.

Image: Flickr