Onkaparinga Council reveals $22m Lot 14 plan
Onkaparinga Council has unveiled a plan to create a Lot 14-style innovation and education hub in Adelaide’s south.
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Onkaparinga Council has unveiled a $22 million vision to create an innovation, cultural and education hub at Noarlunga Centre that would connect entrepreneurs at Lot 14 with the south.
The council is seeking State Government funding for a plan dubbed 14˚ South – as a nod to Lot 14 – that would complement work being done in the city and at the Tonsley innovation district.
According to the council, it would support 260 jobs and contribute $29 million to the state’s economy each year.
“14° South will complement the State Government’s investment in Lot 14 and the Future Industries Exchange for Entrepreneurship (FIXE), enhance the Noarlunga TAFE SA campus, deliver an enhanced cultural experience and provide essential community, economic and educational services for the Fleurieu,” the council’s prospectus says.
“By extending further south beyond Tonsley, we will build links between Lot Fourteen industry clusters, southern Adelaide, McLaren Vale and the Fleurieu Peninsula.
“Onkaparinga is home to countless creatives, entrepreneurs, agricultural influencers and technical innovators who believe in our region and South Australia.
“We must leverage these strengths to influence new partnerships, build new connections and bring new leaders into South Australia’s innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem.”
14° South would be home to the council’s ON Business Partner Program supporting economic growth in the region.
The proposal would also revamp the Noarlunga Library and TAFE precinct as well as save the embattled Hopgood Theatre.
The council, the State Government and theatre manager, Country Arts SA, have been locked in negotiations ever since the government announced it would no longer fund the Hopgood two years ago.
The community has furiously fought the decision and the State Government has provided short-term funding to keep the doors open ever since.
The current funding agreement will run out at the end of 2020.