$1.5 billion Flinders Village planned for Flinders University’s Bedford Park campus
The next decade for Flinders University is revealed for the first time – a major project expanding the education hub into one for transport, retail, student accommodation and future research.
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A $1.5 billion “village” with a health research centre, thousands of student beds, hotel and retail will be built at Flinders University.
The Advertiser can reveal the university’s masterplan for a major development at the terminus of the Flinders Link rail extension.
It has been devised over several years and can finally become a reality thanks to the rail link and a land deal with the State Government.
Preliminary works on Flinders Village, which will sustain an average of 1000 construction jobs over a decade, will begin next year when the Flinders Station is due to accept its first passengers.
The first major project will be a $200 million health research centre to focus on mental health and infectious diseases.
Construction of that building in 2021-22 will coincide with the first stage of a huge student accommodation project east of University Drive.
It will eventually provide 3000 new beds over a dozen or more buildings for international, regional and interstate students.
It is critical to Flinders’ plan to more than double onshore international students from 3000 to 8000.
The heart of the village will be known as Flinders Square, surrounded by the station, research building, and a boutique shopping centre with a hotel behind it.
Flinders is finalising a land deal with the State Government for the university to spend up to $16 million purchasing 7ha of its own 160ha territory, converting it from Crown land to freehold so it is more attractive to private investors.
However, the university will retain land ownership and do lease deals with private interests.
Other potential developments are transition accommodation for patients leaving Flinders Medical Centre – which could help ease ramping and bed-block problems – aged care and childcare.
Vice-chancellor Colin Stirling said a significant portion of the decade-long development would take shape over the next few years.
“The basis of what we are calling Flinders Village you will be able to see in the early part of the 2020s,” Professor Stirling said.
“It’s a one-off generational type of opportunity. It will become a destination for southern Adelaide for people in our community and beyond.”
Private capital will fund most of the $1.5 billion development and Prof Stirling said there was already “intense” interest from student accommodation providers.
“Our plan is to have buildings that are sympathetic to the environment. These student buildings are relatively low profile, three, four, five storeys max. We don’t want to be building huge towers.”
He said the planned international student growth was realistic because it would “really only take us to roughly the average proportion of international students for an Australian university”.
The state’s education export revenue is expected to jump by $100 million as a result.
For the health research building, the university will likely partner with a private firm which would provide part of the capital. Flinders would then take a long-term lease on the building.
“It means we can build more, more quickly, than if we had to borrow the cash,” Prof Stirling said, adding the aim was to attract “researchers of international standing”.
Prof Stirling said the retail would be a “lifestyle boutique environment”.
“Think King William Rd in Hyde Park or The Parade, that type of amenity that people will have around the village square.”
He said Flinders’ strong revenue growth in the past five years “created the context” for the development, but “none of this would be happening without the train”.
A document spruiking Flinders Village says it will “maximise research and collaborati(on)” with the neighbouring hospitals and Tonsley district. It will “support dynamic exhibition, education and public (art) programs”. Students will enjoy village life “around the clock”.
The $125m Flinders Link is a joint state-federal project.
FLINDERS VILLAGE
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