Labor promises $350 million to redevelop Old Royal Adelaide Hospital site

LABOR is vowing to spend $350 million over nine years on redeveloping the prime Old Royal Adelaide Hospital site, focusing on future industries including artificial intelligence, cyber security, renewable energy and film.

An artist’s impression of the redeveloped old RAH site.

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LABOR is vowing to spend $350 million over nine years on redeveloping the prime Old Royal Adelaide Hospital site, focusing on future industries including artificial intelligence, cyber security, renewable energy and film.

Premier Jay Weatherill will on Tuesday unveil Labor’s third plan for the site since the new RAH was announced in 2007.

But the decision on a linchpin of the 7ha site — a proposed $250 million contemporary art gallery adjacent the Adelaide Botanic Gardens — will not be announced during the election campaign because results of a design competition are set to be released in April.

Much of the $350 million is likely to be spent on demolition and decontamination costs, which in 2016 were put at up to $200 million by government agency Renewal SA, which will oversee the redevelopment.

But the funding also would go to ultra-fast broadband infrastructure, refurbishing heritage buildings for tech firms and partnering with the private sector on a new research and innovation building.

An artist’s impression of the redeveloped old RAH site.

Under Labor’s plan, workspace at the site would be made available to start-up firms and businesses in future industries.

The plan includes significant elements of a $1 billion proposal by a consortium including developers Commercial & General and John Holland, which collapsed in September last year.

These elements include a five-star hotel, returning more than 2ha to the Botanic Gardens, a strong university and research presence and student and short-stay accommodation.

Labor has ruled out large-scale residential apartments, which had been considered critical to achieving a private sector return on the site.

An artist’s impression of the redeveloped old RAH site.

Mr Weatherill said start-ups and companies in future industries such as space, cyber security and artificial intelligence would be able to work together, grow ideas and make South Australia a world leader.

“The Old Royal Adelaide Hospital site presents us with an enormous opportunity to bring together our educational institutions, government and the private sector to work together to grow the types of industries that will provide the jobs of the future,” Mr Weatherill said.

Labor hopes to snare the seat of Adelaide from the Liberals, who have yet to reveal their plans for the old RAH site.

Opposition Leader Steven Marshall last September opposed housing towers, saying the site should become a beacon for generating jobs and prosperity.

Adelaide University vice-chancellor Peter Rathjen welcomed the announcement of a “large-scale, visionary redevelopment” for the old RAH, where the university is developing an Institute for Machine Learning.

“The site has the potential to expand the number of high-quality manufacturing jobs and industries that will secure the future for generations of South Australians to come,” Professor Rathjen said.