Soaring tower plan to reach new Adelaide city heights
A new accommodation tower in a prominent CBD spot could be one of the tallest in the city if planners give it the nod.
Hundreds of student accommodation rooms are planned for North Terrace in the Adelaide CBD, with the State Commission Assessment Panel (SCAP) currently assessing plans to build a 40-storey student accommodation tower at 195 North Terrace.
If approved, the tower would become just the third building in SA to reach 40-storeys alongside the Market Square development, which was recently delayed until 2027, and The Realm residential apartment building on Austin Street.
The current site is home to property developer Mandala Group’s M1 building, and according to documents submitted by designer Future Urban, the proposed building would have a maximum building height of 135 metres. Rodd and Gunn men’s clothing label is currently a tenant in the building.
Mandala’s M1 building neighbours local heritage-listed Tobin House and its ground floor rare bookshop at 196 North Terrace, and is adjacent to the vacant state heritage-listed Gawler Chambers which was sold earlier this year.
If approved, the new student housing tower would have 612 rooms, 635 beds and be located 80 metres from Adelaide University’s main campus and 800m from the City West campus.
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If the application wins planning consent, it would be the latest in a string of high-rise student accommodation approvals, with five projects expected to deliver more than 1400 residential and student apartments approved in September.
Among them was a 36-storey student accommodation tower at 101 Grenfell Street that will have 858 beds across 724 units and be one of Adelaide’s tallest buildings, while the former 22-storey transport department headquarters on Grenfell Street will also be student accommodation.
Meanwhile, student towers continue to rise behind the Crown & Anchor Hotel on Grenfell Street, behind Trinity Church on North Terrace and at the corner of North Terrace and Frome Street.
“It is abundantly clear that the proposed development has substantial merit in that it will result in a vibrant, mixed-use outcome of a scale that is appropriate in the context of the prominent position on North Terrace,” the Future Urban report said.
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“Noting that international education is the third largest export sector in South Australia contributing $2.47 billion annually to the economy, the provision of new, high-quality accommodation for students is critical to the success of the tertiary education sector being a crucial driver of the economy in this state.”
It would also include 86 bicycle spots, communal areas including a gym, cinema, music room, outdoor terrace and be powered by solar panels. No car parking is currently planned for the site.
A letter from City of Adelaide CEO Michael Sedgman raised concerns about bicycle parking shortfall of 232 spaces.
“There are concerns regarding constructability of the development,” the letter said.
“Allowing a lane closure along North Terrace for an extended period close to the intersection will significantly impact the efficiency and capacity of the intersection as well as a significant amount of infrastructure.”
It also outlined potential safety issues to pedestrians during construction due to the frequency of truck movements around North Terrace and Gawler Place.
The North Terrace M1 Centre is currently a 12 storey multi-use building occupied by high profile retailers, office tenants and medical specialists, including clothing brand Rodd and Gunn on the ground floor and was previously home to RM Williams.
The report submitted to SCAP said the development would “not dominate, encroach on or unduly impact on the setting of the nearby heritage places”.
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