Victoria Square Master Plan

I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for the City of Adelaide a question about the Victoria Square master plan.

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: In May this year, during question time, the minister replied to a question of mine that the state government had to date contributed $2 million for a final engineering and design study to be completed by the end of this year so that construction of the Victoria Square master plan can begin in 2011. The minister also stated that, after consultation, the Adelaide City Council would bring back the results of that, no doubt a proposal for the state government to further consider, and I relish the opportunity to consider that further proposal.

The minutes of the Adelaide City Council's City Design and Character Committee and of the council itself show that in July they received a consultation report and endorsed the draft master plan for detailed design. My questions are:

1. Has the final engineering and design study commissioned by the government been finalised?

2. Has the minister received a copy of the Adelaide City Council consultation into the master plan?

3. Does the minister believe that stage 1 of the master plan will begin in 2011?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for State/Local Government Relations, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Consumer Affairs, Minister for Government Enterprises, Minister for the City of Adelaide) (14:31): I thank the honourable member for her question. Indeed, I have been advised that on 15 June 2010 the Adelaide City Council approved its 2010-11 budget and, as part of that budget, $6.75 million has been allocated for developing a detailed design for the first stage of the project. The state government has also committed $2 million for a final engineering and design study and that is due to be completed at the end of this year, I have been advised. The Adelaide City Council's consultation period closed, I think, on 7 June 2010.

I am advised that the council received just under 200 public submissions during that consultation period, overwhelmingly in support of the master plan, and these were presented to the council on 12 July 2010, I understand, in a 642-page report. At the Adelaide City Council meeting of 26 July 2010, the council endorsed the draft Victoria Square regeneration master plan report, and I understand that that report is now being used to inform the final design and engineering work and includes comments from individuals, business groups and also community organisations. The Adelaide City Council informs me that the detailed design of that Victoria Square redevelopment plan is progressing very well with a design review panel workshop held on 13 October 2010 to review a number of elements. That is the progress of this very important project thus far.