Nextdc will build a $100m data centre on the former City Beach volleyball site on Pirie St

The former City Beach volleyball site on Pirie St has been sold to data centre operator Nextdc, which will build a huge $100m tower that the Mayor says is “truly impressive’’. See the plans.

Nextdc will build a $100m data centre on the former City Beach site on Pirie St after it was sold by the City of Adelaide for an undisclosed sum.

The $4.6bn sharemarket-listed company has committed to build a data centre including an “Entrepreneur and Innovation Centre and a “Mission Critical Operational Space”, the State Government said, with construction expected to start in the second half of this year.

The former volleyball site at 211 Pirie St was earmarked for sale in the council’s 2021-22 budget, as it sought to find new sources of revenue.

The new $100m Nextdc data centre to be built in Pirie St. Picture: Supplied

The council says the tower plans are “truly impressive’’. Picture: Supplied

The site includes the former volleyball courts, while the adjoining Pirie Flinders UPark car park, which was part of the expressions of interest process, is not part of this deal, and will remain.

A new location for volleyball has been identified at Bonython Park, with Lord Mayor Sandy Verschoor saying the council was working with Volleyball SA with regard to their transition to that site.

Ms Verschoor said the plans for the new building, which will be called “A1”, were “truly impressive’’.

“Beyond the data centre capabilities, we will see a facility which includes an Entrepreneur and Innovation Centre where universities and businesses can collaborate,’’ she said.

The Pirie St site has been used for volleyball in the city for many years. Picture: Colin James

People in action at City Beach volleyball courts several years ago.

Premier Steven Marshall said Nextdc was just the latest in a number of large technology companies which have decided to set up in Adelaide, including Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud and Microsoft Azure.

“We have been working very closely with Nextdc to bring them to South Australia for some time, and I’m absolutely thrilled they have chosen Adelaide as the city they want to invest and create jobs in,” he said.

“Their investment will go beyond the creation of the data centre to include the opportunity for collaboration with our state’s universities, ensuring a pipeline of skilled workers for the future.’’

The data centre is expected to employ about 150 people once operational.