The South Australian planning minister has approved a planning code amendment that will enable new towers in Adelaide’s Festival Plaza to reach up to 40 storeys, despite a majority of consultation respondents opposing the amendment.
The tallest tower currently in the plaza, One Festival Tower, reaches 29 stories. Following a consultation period launched by the state government in September 2024, the Minister for Planning Nick Champion has now approved the amended planning code, permitting new buildings in Festival Plaza to rise up to 40 storeys.
A total of 87 submissions were received during the consultation period, with the majority – 62 respondents – unsupportive of the code amendment. Elsewhere in the submissions, 16 were supportive, 5 were supportive with concerns, 3 were impartial and one didn’t specify whether it was for or against changes to the code.
One of the key issues highlighted during the consultation period was the potential impact of a 38-storey tower at the plaza site, which was proposed in early 2024. This tower proposal was submitted by Walker Corporation in lieu of an earlier approved proposal for a significantly smaller three-storey retail building on the site. Designed by Walker Corporation with architecture firm Johnson Pilton Walker, it was proposed that the high-rise would accommodate 36 floors of commercial office space, two levels for food and beverage establishments and a glass foyer.
Additional concerns raised during the consultation period focused on the height increase potentially impacting the heritage values of the nearby heritage-listed Parliament House, Festival Theatre and Torrens Parade Ground, as well as obstructing views of linear park, the northern facade of Parliament House, Festival Theatre and the River Torrens.
The key areas of support raised during the consultation period included: “Adelaide needs more taller buildings to use space more efficiently” and a building of approximately 40 levels “could provide opportunities to benefit the community such as a public viewing deck or museum.”
In a published letter to the Department for Housing and Urban Development, Champion wrote that he had considered the issues raised during the consultation period and had decided to adopt the Festival Plaza Code Amendment. “In approving the Code Amendment, I am of the view that the approved Amendment provides clear guidance about the appropriate location of buildings within the Festival Plaza to ensure Festival Plaza remains a world-class hub for the arts, culture, tourism and entertainment.”
The adopted code amendment specifies that any new building must have a minimum setback of nine metres from Parliament House’s northern facade to preserve its visual integrity and heritage value. Efforts to preserve view lines to the Parliament House balcony and Aedicular Corner of classical columns and pilasters must also be made.
The proposal for a 38-storey tower is being assessed by the independent State Planning Commission.
