Turning point for Plaza tower?

by Robert Farnan

After meeting Premier Peter Malinauskas with a high-powered delegation from the “Save Festival Plaza Alliance” I believe that “we are on a roll, we have renewed purpose, we aren’t going away anytime soon!”

Victorian ex-Premier Hon.Ted Baillieu AO (former Chair of the Australian Heritage Council, very generously flew himself over from Melbourne at his own expense to join the party led by Hon. Rev. Dr. Lynn Arnold AO.

The party that met the Premier on Tuesday 28 October also included:

  • Liz Vines OAM, distinguished Heritage Architect,

  • Geoff Hayter Land Economist and Property Consultant,

  • Alan Rumsby, planner, and former Commissioner of the Environment, Resournces and Development Court, and

  • me, Robert Farnan.

From left: Ted Baillieu, Lynn Arnold, Liz Vines, Geoff Hayter, Alan Rumsby, Robert Farnan

The Premier, Peter Malinauskas, listened intently and was respectful.

We provided the Premier with detailed reports of vast dissatisfaction, better described as sheer outrage, about the 38-storey tower proposed for Festival Plaza.

We explained that we wanted (instead of a 38-storey skyscraper) a vigorous and lively open plaza with low-rise cultural uses building/s. 

We had initially supported the previous 3-storey approved option as a compromise but the Premier did not think it was viable.

The core proposition of the Save Festival Plaza Alliance is that the State Government is giving away our irreplaceable civic core for $1 per year for 100 years - and may get no public benefit in return as there is a very low likelihood that such an over-scale private building will “activate” the Plaza.

And there was no competitive tender.

We feel that this is politically insupportable, especially with an election coming up.

These are the points made by our delegation during the meeting with the Premier:

  • The possible/maybe/hopeful activation of the plaza to a reasonable level has markedly not happened with Tower One.

  • Such a plaza, well developed, should attract millions per year.

  • In our opinion this proposal would have destructive knock-on effects that would change the economic trajectory of the city forever.

  • We are still attempting to clarify the status of our appeal to the Australian Heritage Council on the grounds of the global first legislation of women’s full democracy.

  • Greens Senator, Barbara Pocock has championed this very effectively in Parliament. See the video here.

The tower design in your Park Lands context by JPW design and Greens Senator Barbara Pocock.

  • We presented an option of a trade-off being canvassed, with Walker Corporation, of government land with building stock needing renewal around Victoria Square.

  • This government has inherited the chronically mis-managed project, but the Premier in turn admitted that the proposed 38-storey private tower proposal was on his watch.

  • Local developers are beginning to speak out as they are very concerned at the effect on the city property market and investment.

  • The proposal’s support seemed to be limited to within the walls of the SA Parliament;

  • The issue is damaging the Premier’s credibility, and would put an ineradicable stain on his legacy if he failed to act to protect his city.   

160 metres tall. How big is that? An artist’s impression of how a 38-storey tower such as the one proposed for Festival Plaza would dominate even Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament at Westminster in London.

It’s not too late

We urge you not to give in to the temptation to say it is a ‘done deal'. We are on a roll at this point because there is no reasonable argument that supports this potentially, extremely damaging proposal.

We are getting near-constant radio exposure. In recent days, ABC Adelaide 891 Radio interviews have been conducted with:

What can you do?

Please send a quick email to the Premier. It could make a huge difference at this point.
Ask how you could vote for him in the upcoming election if he is allowing his Government to give away our irreplaceable civic core for $1 per year for 100 years -- and to get for that vast gift a supposed “activation” of the plaza that is best described as unlikely, a maybe.

The Premier is prepared to listen. We need to keep up the pressure on him so he can act.

Please email him as above, and also the Treasurer, Tom Koutsantonis.

Robert Farnan is the convenor of the Save Festival Plaza Alliance.