Reviewing planning rules to guide Festival Plaza development
Published Thursday, 12 September 2024
The South Australian Government is reviewing the planning rules for Festival Plaza to ensure this prime location in Adelaide’s city centre provides the greatest benefits for the state and our community.
Aspects such as building height, siting, contribution to public space and relationships to heritage buildings such as Parliament House are all important planning considerations for new development in the precinct.
The draft Festival Plaza Code Amendment reviews the planning rules, focussing on providing clear building height and design guidance, to maximise the remaining development site and make Festival Plaza a world-class hub for the arts, culture, tourism and entertainment.
The review also aims to ensure that planning rules for this important area are consistent with the South Australian Government’s vision for the broader riverbank precinct.
Recent upgrades and development have renewed Festival Plaza as a cultural and entertainment hub in the centre of Adelaide.
A 38-storey mixed-use tower alongside the One Festival Tower has been proposed to complete renewal of the precinct.
The draft Code Amendment does not consider specific proposed developments but would provide building height and design guidance for any future development in Festival Plaza.
Therefore, changes to the planning rules through this code amendment would guide whether the proposed 38-storey building is the highest and best use of the precinct’s remaining development site, considering its relationship with national and state heritage listed Parliament House and opportunities to create public space.
These draft planning rules have come into effect on an interim basis at the same time as being released for consultation to ensure undesirable development applications are not submitted for this important precinct while these rules are reviewed.
The community and industry are invited to provide their feedback on the draft Festival Plaza Code Amendment, and consultation is open until 24 October 2024.
Learn more about the draft Code Amendment at one of these online information sessions:
- Thursday, 26 September, 11:00 am to 12:00 pm, register on Eventbrite
- Tuesday, 15 October, 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm, register on Eventbrite.
Further information on the draft Code Amendment and how to provide feedback is available on the PlanSA and YourSAy websites.
