The new long-awaited Festival Plaza Public Realm has been given the green light following the granting of planning approval this week, with some construction works commencing this month.
The Festival Plaza Public Realm will be Adelaide’s premier events and open public space in the heart of the Riverbank Precinct.
The updated design, released in April this year, include a revised layout, enhanced infrastructure to facilitate larger and more varied public events and dual escalators linking Festival Plaza to the Riverbank Footbridge.
“The Festival Plaza Public Realm will become the premier open and events space in the heart of the Riverbank precinct that will continue the area’s transformation,” said Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Local Government Stephan Knoll.
“This project has been a long time coming and we are finally going to see shovels in the ground later this month on some parts of the plaza with further works to ramp open over the course of the rest of year.
“Construction of the Festival Plaza Public Realm will be staged to align with the other major components of the redevelopment.
“The new design is the result of extensive consultation with the Riverbank Precinct stakeholders including the Stadium Management Authority, Adelaide Festival Centre, Adelaide Venue Management Authority, Intercontinental Hotel, SkyCity, City of Adelaide and the Walker Corporation.
“Everyone has provided their input and the result is now going to be a world-class events and open public space for all South Australians to enjoy.
“The new Festival Plaza will be able to facilitate a greater variety of events than the initial design and host thousands of people which will be a huge boost for tourism, businesses and local jobs.
“It will include shaded and leafy areas for people to relax and have lunch, a unique South Australian first ‘misting’ water feature, the provision of free WiFi access and many other features.
“There is over $1 billion of both private and publicly funded investment in and around the Riverbank precinct and the new Festival Plaza design will ensure there is a beautiful open space for all South Australians to enjoy.”
