More than a year after receiving approval, the planned expansion of Adelaide Casino is set to go ahead.

Today, the Skycity Entertainment Group confirmed they will be allocating $330 million in funding to the project after eighteen months of setbacks. A $300-million expansion was originally granted planning approval in January 2016, but experienced delays due in part to opposition to the project. After more than a year, the revised masterplan by The Buchan Group reveals 34 additional hotel rooms and a new floor added to the building.

Hecker Guthrie Walter Brooke has been selected to oversee interiors for the project, which will additionally incorporate new restaurants, function spaces, and a rooftop bar.

The revised design has met with the approval of South Australian premier, Jay Weatherill, who says he is happy to see the project going ahead.

“This redevelopment and the wider development across [Adelaide’s] Riverbank Precinct is a welcome investment in the state. We look forward to offering both locals and tourists the opportunity to enjoy a world-class entertainment precinct.”

The Adelaide Casino expansion is part of a broader plan to redevelop the Adelaide Riverbank. Other projects in the pipeline include a $220-million upgrade to the Adelaide Festival Plaza by ARM Architecture and Taylor Cullity Lethlean, a redevelopment of Adelaide Festival Centre by Hassell, and a 27-storey tower by Bates Smart and the Walker Corporation. Once complete, this latter is set to be the second tallest tower in Adelaide.

Confirmation for the $330-million Adelaide Casino expansion comes after lengthy negotiations between Skycity Entertainment Group and the South Australian government. One of the major issues of contention was the development’s potential heritage impact. When the project was first considered for approval last year, the State Heritage Unit raised concerns that the expansion would adversely impact the Adelaide Festival Centre and Adelaide Railway Station, both of which have heritage significance.

South Australia’s Development Assessment Commission has said that the new plan satisfies key objectives of the Riverbank Precinct redevelopment plan. At this stage, it is expected that construction on the casino and hotel complex will begin early next year. The completed expansion is anticipated for 2020.

Kirsty Sier

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