SkyCity chief David Christian says more development, cafes needed to bring people to the Riverbank

A major plank in the renaissance of Adelaide’s Riverbank is nearly complete but what else is needed to bring the Torrens to life?

The first stage of a multimillion-dollar revamp of Adelaide’s Festival Plaza will open to the public next month but there are calls for more to be done to bring people to Adelaide’s Riverbank.

March 11, at the height of Mad March, will mark the launch of the 8800 sqm upgraded plaza, linking North Tce to the Adelaide Riverbank, in the first plank in an eventual $663m investment in partnership with Walker Corporation, which is building a 27-storey office tower behind Parliament House.

Work on the $253 million public plaza, which will feature an interactive water feature, refurbished artwork from the original Hajek Plaza, trees and 4.8m high arbours, began in June 2020.

Renewal SA chief executive Chris Menz said the opening of the initial plaza upgrade was a “huge moment” in returning the space that “belongs to the people” and bringing the CBD to the riverbank.

“This is about bringing it back into the normal ebb and flow of CBD life,” he said, adding that Adelaide had for too long “turned its back” on the river.

Further stages will provide 16,500 sqm of open space between the Adelaide Festival Theatre, Dunstan Playhouse, Parliament House, Adelaide Railway Station, SkyCity Adelaide, and the Riverbank footbridge and eventually shops and cafes.

A render of the completed Festival Plaza, with the Walker Corporation tower, and shops and retail behind Parliament House. Image: ARM Architecture

SkyCity Australia chief operating officer David Christian welcomed the plaza revamp but said there needed to be more entertainment near the river itself and Adelaide Oval.

“This could be in the form of increased entertainment facilities such as more restaurants, cafes and bars which cater to a broader range of people from within the community, as well as tourists, but also that open up the area to visitation for people to enjoy the whole riverbank area,” he said.

“We would welcome the River Torrens becoming more of a feature for people to enjoy, similar to how other cities have made their rivers a feature of the city.

“While we are currently recognised as Australia’s most liveable city, we need to retain this and continue to enhance what we have so we don’t go back to losing so many of our younger people to Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth.

In December the state government, following public outcry, announced a rezoning of the Riverbank precinct, would not allow permanent private business on the riverfront, between Kintore Ave and the Torrens Weir, including on Pinky Flat.

Jacarandas and architecturally-designed arbours will provide shade in the revamped Festival Plaza. Image: ARM Architecture

A new entertainment zone, however, will enable construction of the Liberal Party’s proposed $662m Riverbank Arena should it be re-elected. Labor has vowed to scrap the arena plan.

Mr Christian reiterated SkyCity’s support for the arena which would replace the Adelaide Entertainment Centre at Hindmarsh, which he said was not large enough to attract “quality entertainment”.

He said it was important Adelaide had a “thriving and exiting CBD” to enhance the city’s appeal as a liveable city.

Australian Institute of Landscape Architects’ SA president Daniel Bennett said the plaza upgrade was a “good start” in making the riverbank more pedestrian friendly and improving access between North Tce and the river.

“The riverbank has never had first and foremost, public benefit or public good,” he said.

“It’s always been secondary and until we put that (public good) at the heart of the riverbank, we will keep doing the same thing,” he said.

“On a hot day you go down to the riverbank and you turn around and go back to the city because there’s nowhere to go, there’s nowhere to sit, it’s a concrete landscape.”

He said Brisbane’s South Bank, with its “series of public spaces” and mature trees is an example of a precinct that embraces people and was a model to look towards.