by Shane Sody

Few people realise that Festival Plaza is part of the Adelaide Park Lands. Yet way back in 2012, it was given away to a billionaire for what was (at the time) proposed to be one 27-storey office tower, (what is now “Festival One”) some shops, and a car park.

That was not enough for the Walker Corporation. For the past 10 years they’ve been trying to get more real estate returns from your Festival Plaza.

The last chapter in this saga; the final approval for a second “monster” tower is about to be played out.

This final stage of corporate takeover of Festival Plaza will be the subject of a high-level meeting in Adelaide from 9:30am on Wednesday 11 June 2025.

That’s the date for a meeting of the State Commission Assessment Panel, (“SCAP”) a seven-member group charged with reviewing /approving/ placing conditions upon proposed major developments.

The SCAP is considering Walker Corporation’s plans for a 38-storey office block that would become Adelaide’s tallest building, towering over Festival Plaza, State Parliament House, and the Festival Centre.

*How big would it be? 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.*

The land (YOUR land) was gifted to the Walker Corporation without any public tender, without any public consultation, nor any electoral mandate; a process roundly criticised by the State Auditor-General back in 2017.

The entire multi-year process has been marked by little to no transparency or accountability.

It is likely that SCAP will have no choice but to approve this tower, because the Planning Minister, Nick Champion has effectively tied SCAP’s hands. On 9 January 2025 the Minister changed the zoning for Festival Plaza, so that (guess what?) a new building of up to 40 storeys would be permissible there!

The Environment, Resources and Development Committee rubber-stamped that change. They held no public hearings, and did not release any minutes of their deliberations.

Even earlier, in April 2024, State Cabinet gave its political approval, and the Premier proudly unveiled artist’s impressions.

*Premier Peter Malinauskas unveiling the proposed second new Festival Plaza tower on 9 April 2024. (ABC News: Rory McClaren)*

The processes undertaken following the Premier’s announcement on 9 April 2024 have ticked all the legal boxes. But that doesn’t mean this idea has public support, or is an appropriate use of your public land.

In recent months, there has been a slowly-growing public awareness of the size and scale of this “monster”. The controversy has made national media headlines, featuring prominently on The Guardian Australia on 27 May 2025:

***https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/may/27/adelaide-first-skyscraper-criticised-as-profound-mistake-and-hugely-questionable-by-opponents***

The description of the proposed tower as “the Monster” comes from one Adelaide citizen who’s been relentlessly questioning decision-makers on this topic.

Tim Jackson says “just build it somewhere else.” He believes there would have been comparatively few issues if this tower had been proposed for a CBD site rather than Festival Plaza.

“The lack of due process …. is breathtaking” he says. “Open government has disappeared!”

In recent weeks, this controversy has been referred to the Australian Heritage Council, and on 12 May 2025 the City Council belatedly withdrew its support for “the Monster”.

What can you do?

Walker Corporation is very confident of getting approval from SCAP because construction on the foundations of the tower have already commenced!

Nevertheless, you can apply to attend the SCAP hearing on Wednesday 11 June, where final planning approval will be considered.

You can also request to be heard (to make a submission) at that meeting, but you can’t just turn up on the day. Planning SA advises:

The agenda for the meeting is expected to be published via the PlanSA website on Wednesday 4 June 2025.

The meeting would be convened on level 9, 83 Pirie Street Adelaide.

Public attendance (for observation purposes) is possible in accordance with the SCAP’s meeting procedures, which are detailed in a PDF document: accessible via the below link:

A Guide to the State Commission Assessment Panel (SCAP)

For more information on SCAP meetings, decisions and procedures you may contact scapadmin@sa.gov.au.

Please note that written permission is required to gain physical access to the premises and meeting venue (which has a limited seating capacity), such that an invitation to scapadmin@sa.gov.au would be essential.

Background

Over the past decade both Liberal and Labor State Governments have supported privatisation of your Festival Plaza by Walker Corporation.

The Marshall Liberal State Government (2018-2022) approved the now-constructed 29-Level Tower “Festival One”; along with a separate four-level retail building.

In April 2024, the Malinauskas Labor Government approved allowing Walker Corporation to scrap the proposed four-level building, and replace it instead with a 38-storey tower.

However, the Plaza could have been easily and cheaply returned to Park Lands to celebrate Adelaide’s world-unique asset.

A design competition for this purpose was run in 2015, by the then-leader of the Greens Party in SA, the Hon. Mark Parnell: