Sensational-Adelaide.com

Wednesday, 21 March 2012
Tonsley Park: Jays quietest of backflips
Kevin Naughton : Analysis

SIX months ago Indaily reported the State government had backflipped on it plans to turn Tonsley Park’s old Mitsubishi site into a clean-tech industry hub.

Yesterday, the government released its Master Plan for the site – reneging on the original plans from 2009 and confirming the Indaily report last October that the site would be part-rezoned to allow the construction of high-density apartment blocks.

The Premier Jay Weatherill’s media release yesterday said it would become “a centre for high-value and innovative manufacturing companies”.

No details, mind, but plenty of images and video fly-throughs of people drinking coffee and riding push bikes.

It promised the new Master Plan would deliver 6300 jobs – not the 8600 jobs mentioned in its announcement of August 2010.

The 2010 statement had promised: “Investment in a sustainable technologies precinct at Tonsley Park is expected to reach $1 billion over a 15-year development period with … up to 8,600 jobs on the site by 2026.

“The site development, and derived productivity improvements, is set to increase Gross State Product by up to $400 million each year, by 2026.”

Yesterday’s announcement re-set the bar to lower the job numbers, pushed out the timeframe to 2032 and reduced government expenditure to $253 million – even less after land sales from residential subdivisions on the site.

The latest announcement for Tonsley made no mention of the now abandoned promises from 2009 and 2010.

In December 2009, the Department of Trade and Economic Development told parliament’s Budget and Finance Committee that Tonsley Park was a “critical piece of infrastructure in southern Adelaide” that was vital to the future development of South Australian industry.

“For that reason the site will continue to be zoned ‘industrial’ and used to create sustainable employment in the south,” the DTED chief executive Lance Worrall told the committee.

That plan must have hit the dust shortly after Mr Worrall’s commitment was made.

As we reported last October 7, Mitsubishi’s former Tonsley Park site will be part-rezoned residential to allow construction of 23 high-density apartment blocks, rather than the promised clean-tech precinct.

The accommodation blocks on the western side of the site will house students from nearby Flinders University.

The residential blocks range between three and five storeys.

The clean-tech dream started to fade into fantasy when the State government approved the relocation to Tonsley Park of TAFE campuses and the installation of a data centre that houses computer hardware packaged inside shipping containers.

The 23 apartment blocks get short shrift in the promotional video – five seconds worth in a two-minute-39 second wrap.

The State Government announced plans to buy the site from Mitsubishi in December 2009, after the car maker closed its SA operations in 2008.

When it closed the deal in February 2010 in the lead-up to the state election, the government described the site as a clean-tech and innovation hub.

“The sustainable technologies precinct will be a flagship for the growth of our clean-tech manufacturing capability, training in education and sustainability, the services sector and research and development,” media releases stated.

Southern Suburbs Minister John Hill touted the precinct as “integrating clean, sustainable technologies, environmental industries, advanced manufacturing and research and development”.

Stage 1 of the Master Plan for the site was scheduled for completion in August 2010.

It was released yesterday. There were no specific details of any clean tech/innovation projects.

The Scooter Guy wrote:Xaragmata, head there for demolition pics soon! The McMahon 'jaws of death' may be tearing this big thing down like the old Adelaide Oval buildings & Rundle HS!

Flinders to make major investment in Tonsley Park

Flinders University is poised to make its largest single investment in educational facilities since the University was established more than 40 years ago with a planned $120 million expansion at Tonsley Park.

The University will construct a major building in which it will teach computer science, engineering and mathematics to undergraduate students while also undertaking an extensive range of research activities and business collaborations.

Flinders Vice-Chancellor, Professor Michael Barber, said the University’s investment would enable it to deliver teaching, research and business investment activities aligned with the high-value manufacturing vision for the site.

“This is an exciting opportunity for us to help forge a new future for innovation at Tonsley Park. It demonstrates our commitment to being the higher education partner of choice in southern Adelaide and, in particular, to be recognised as playing a significant role in the economic transformation of this area,” Professor Barber said.

Design work is already underway for the Tonsley Park facility which will house about 2000 students and 150 staff and is scheduled be fully operational in 2015.

Further expansion on the site, including possible student accommodation, will be considered as Flinders continues to grow over the next 20 years. The new facilities will be linked to the main campus by a frequent bus service operated by the University.

The Tonsley Park facility will also underpin a further strengthening of the existing collaboration with TAFE SA - which is providing alternative pathways to Flinders for students - and will see both institutions playing a major role in the proposed Sustainable Industries Education Centre to be based at the former Mitsubishi site.

Professor Barber said the collaboration of the University’s Medical Device Partnering Program and the Centre for NanoScale Science and Technology with emerging high technology and entrepreneurial companies at Tonsley Park provided much scope for mutual benefit.

“Flinders’ Medical Device Partnering Program, in collaboration with individual companies, is driving the development of new medical devices in Australia and our nanotechnology researchers are exploring the frontiers of solar cell and desalination technologies. To have this expertise co-located with potential business and research partners offers a great deal of exciting potential for future Flinders-business collaboration,” Professor Barber said.