Lord Mayor Martin Haese endorses Adelaide railyards site for proposed new multipurpose arena
LORD Mayor Martin Haese is endorsing the city railyards as a site for a proposed multi-use arena, which would house concerts, entertainment and several sports.
- Your SA SA: Support grows for new big build like RAH or Oval
- Multipurpose arena being considered for Riverbank precinct
- New Adelaide soccer stadium is being considered at the highest level
LORD Mayor Martin Haese is endorsing the city railyards as a site for a proposed multi-use arena, which would house concerts, entertainment and major sports.
A site south of the River Torrens, west of the Morphett St bridge and north of the railyards is being examined as part of a business case being prepared for the ambitious arena.
It is understood this would involve building over an existing carpark and extending over the railyards — similar to an arena planned for Brisbane’s centre — with tunnels underneath for trains.
The Advertiser last month revealed another site in the Riverbank precinct, north of the Torrens and west of Montefiorie Rd, was being examined for the proposed concert, event, soccer, tennis and basketball arena.
Mr Haese, the outgoing Lord Mayor, told The Advertiser: “My personal opinion is that building over the railyards has merit and could prove to be an efficient use of space. It also substantially reduces the impact on the Parklands.”
The business case has been commissioned by the Adelaide Venue Management Corporation, which operates the Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Hindmarsh Stadium and Adelaide Convention Centre.
The latter is on the opposite side of the Morphett St bridge to the proposed railyards site. Arena costs and concept designs are being prepared.
One option involves selling off the Entertainment Centre for commercial use, potentially a new shopping centre, and using Hindmarsh Stadium for housing.
SA Football Commission chairman John Olsen, who last month urged serious consideration of the emerging opportunity for a multipurpose arena near Adelaide Oval, said any proposal should seek to maximise the arena’s use by incorporating as many activities as possible, to get economies of scale.
“International trends indicate the days of sport centres or arenas being used only one day a week are gone. By multipurpose use, costs can be spread across a range of activities,” said Mr Olsen, who is also the state Liberals president and Adelaide Oval Stadium Management Authority deputy chairman.
“Any centralised facility, however, should only be considered whilst also meeting the needs of local/community sporting grounds.”
Sport Minister Corey Wingard said a business case had yet to be presented to the State Government.
“There’s more work that needs to be done to gain a better understanding of what it can bring to South Australia, including what it will mean for sports development in the state,” he said. An indoor arena and entertainment precinct is proposed for central Brisbane, built over Roma St railyards, including a 17,000-seat concert and sports venue, plazas and an entertainment, dining, retail and commercial zone.
A formal business case for the fast-tracked development, which has been modelled on the LA Live hub in Los Angeles, is due later this month. The LA Live hub includes 13 eateries, a14-screen cinema and the STAPLES Centre, which has hosted multiple sports and entertainment legends, such as the LA Lakers.
Adelaide Venue Management Corporation chief executive Anthony Kirchner declined to comment.