‘Strengthen Adelaide’s civic heart’: Planning Minister disputes Festival Tower Two claims

In response to Elizabeth Vines thoughts on Festival Tower Two yesterday, Planning Minister Nick Champion says the new building will “strengthen Adelaide’s civic heart” and that claims over a $1 a year payment are false.

Adelaide has always been a city that balances heritage with progress. From Colonel Light’s visionary plan to the thriving cultural boulevard of North Terrace, the city’s story has never been one of standing still. It has been one of thoughtful evolution.

Colonel Light’s plan for Adelaide included, within the Park Lands, a hospital, a school, a market, a storehouse and a cemetery. Light was a military surveyor, who had an eye for a geography of Adelaide with a vision to have the Park Lands fully utilised by residents of the city and its surrounding suburbs (like Southwark, where he lived).

The debate surrounding Festival Tower Two has been framed by some as a choice between protecting Adelaide’s character and pursuing economic growth. That is a false choice. The proposed tower represents an opportunity to strengthen Adelaide’s civic heart, support thousands of jobs, and deliver world-class, sustainable infrastructure that positions our city for the future.

People are entitled to hold an opinion on architecture, heritage and height.

However, people should not repeat falsehoods to bolster their argument. This is particularly true in the middle of an election campaign.

There are some facts that need to be cleared up in this debate.

Firstly – the idea that the government was only paid $1 a year for 100 years is false. There is a $1 placeholder on a lease which is publicly available – this is completely typical. There is also a separate Development Agreement containing the full scope of the deal – which is worth tens of millions of dollars’ worth of payments made to the state.

Secondly – the idea that Festival Tower Two is progressing before it has planning approval is also false. South Australia’s independent planning body has given this development........

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