Innovation neighbourhood, known as Lot Fourteen, to focus on more than just business
How will Lot Fourteen become home to the world’s biggest and brightest brains? Easy — its main selling point is Adelaide itself. Here’s how.
SA News
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Do the world’s biggest and brightest brains want to live and work in a bustling CBD location or out in the suburbs?
This will be part of the pitch to the world’s leading defence, tech and cyber companies considering Lot Fourteen – Adelaide’s innovation neighbour-hood – as a new place to call home.
Lot Fourteen, a key piece of the $551 million Adelaide City Deal which was inked before the Federal May election, will be in the spotlight this week as the Commonwealth and State governments unveil an implementation plan.
Lot Fourteen State Project Lead Di Dixon said developing the area as a neighbourhood that welcomes everyone, and its unique location, are giving it the edge when competing with other innovation precincts from around the world.
“Many of the other innovation precincts I have seen around the world are often located in isolation,” Ms Dixon said.
“Lot Fourteen is right in the heart of Adelaide’s commercial, cultural and tourism activity and this is something I have not come across anywhere else.
“Lots of innovation precincts are on the periphery of cities and not necessarily where the action is.”
Ms Dixon was until recently the was Project Director of the Gold Coast Health and Knowledge Precinct – a 200-hectare precinct for hi-tech and health and medical industry development and research that houses Griffith University, a university teaching hospital, a private hospital and associated businesses and research organisations.
Lot Fourteen, she said, was different because business, research, education, culture, wellbeing and entertainment would all be interwoven.
“The commercial, research and community elements are being interwoven here – that’s the real point of difference,” she said.
“Lot Fourteen is right next door to the beautiful Adelaide Botanic Garden and it’s going to have the Aboriginal Art and Cultures Centre, the International Centre for Food, Hospitality and Tourism Studies, all layered over the top of the business, commercial and research activity, which are building the economic future of the state.”
South Australian Space Industry Centre Chief Executive Richard Price said one of the next steps for the site is the hunt for an international space company or organisation to take up a tenancy in the McEwin Building on North Tce.
The heritage listed building is to become the home of the Headquarters of the Australian Space Agency, the SmartSat CRC, Mission Control, the Space Discovery Centre and Internet of Things pioneer Myriota.
“Proponents will need to show they will contribute to the space ecosystem, for example, by working with local industry and research organisations to create space-related solutions or services, by establishing a supply chain, or by providing and attracting corporate investment in local businesses that are starting up or scaling up,” Mr Price said.
Last month the Sunday Mail revealed the space agency was six months late in being established at Lot Fourteen.
But it is expected to be finished in December helping to push the number of people employed on the site to 700.
There is another 500 people working on construction and demolition at the site.