Members of the public are to be asked for their input on the transformation of the former Adelaide Bus Station site on Franklin Street in the CBD.
The public can view indicative concepts for the mixed use, multi-storey Tapangka on Franklin development - which will deliver a new vision of CBD living delivering accommodation for about 1000 people and will have a 35 per cent affordable housing component - at community engagement sessions on Saturday August 24 and Tuesday August 27, 2024.
The Renewal SA led community drop-in meetings will give the public the chance to learn more about the project and indicative master plan and provide ideas on planned upgrades to the adjacent streetscape and public accessible areas. They will be able to learn about the precinct’s draft sustainability strategy which seeks to establish leading benchmarks in the areas of energy, climate resilience and circular economy.
Tapangka, within the market precinct close to the Adelaide Central Market and Chinatown, will see the former Adelaide Bus Station site at 111-129 Franklin St transformed via mixed-use towers and a signature building which will target a 200+ room hotel, a major build-to-rent development, market housing for sale and rental and commercial and retail tenancies, to bring visitors and workers into the precinct.
The precinct will have a generous plaza and landscaped open space with $1.2 million committed to upgrade existing public spaces of Bowen Street and plaza outside the former Hampshire Hotel.
The design of Tapangka will reduce its carbon emissions by promoting and measuring carbon, thermal performance, energy efficiency and renewable energy from the outset. More accessible transport modes such as walking, rolling (bicycles, scooters and e-bikes) and public transport will be promoted over private vehicle use.
First Nations people will be celebrated throughout the project, with the project’s name inspired by the experience of going on a journey in Kaurna language with specific engagement and economic participation planned throughout the life cycle of the project.
Feedback is being sought from South Australians in relation to the precinct’s public accessible spaces and connectivity, sustainability objectives and uses that could activate the precinct and encourage people to visit.
Renewal SA Chief Executive Chris Menz said that activating infill sites in the Adelaide CBD will directly contribute to improving both Adelaide’s vibrancy and residents’ quality of life.
“The importance of bringing in a major development cannot be overstated,” he said.
“Tapangka on Franklin will transform what has been an under used site into a vibrant inner-city destination and sought-after residential community, offering long-and-short term housing options and contemporary commercial, civic and retail spaces. It will be a sustainable development that champions carbon neutrality while also retaining a focus on affordable housing.”
Tapangka on Franklin sits on Kaurna Yarta (Kaurna Country) in Tarndanya (place of the Red Kangaroo), which is the Kaurna name for the site of Adelaide. This link to Kaurna heritage will be celebrated in Tapangka’s development, from its planning and design to its ongoing cultural life.
Jobs will be created during and after construction with Renewal SA, seeking to partner with the private sector, the not-for-profit sector, other levels of government and the local community to invest and contribute to the development vision.
Construction will begin in 2026 following a national search and appointment of development partners to deliver the proposed vision.