Oval redevelopment puts Adelaide's Victoria Square revamp in doubt

The planned $100 million redevelopment of Adelaide's central Victoria Square is in limbo due to the Adelaide Oval upgrade.
Almost a year ago, Adelaide City Council announced plans to re-invigorate the neglected heart of the CBD, backed by $24 million of ratepayers' money and $2 million from the South Australian Government to assist in final engineering and consultation.
The plan was welcomed by architects and planning experts but, according to Adelaide newspaper The Advertiser, was met with suspicion from many in the public, who have seen dozens of similar plans rise and fail over decades.
In the months since, there has been little action on the scheme amid fears that the growing cost of the Adelaide Oval redevelopment mean that funds for Victoria Square will not be available.
Recently elected Lord Mayor Stephen Yarwood told The Advertiser the council was undertaking "detailed design" on the masterplan released last year and discussing funding with State and Federal Governments, stating "the council is looking at a range of funding sources with regard to delivery of this exciting project."
Councillor Sandy Wilkinson said the appetite for development in Victoria Square remained strong but concedes that even the limited funds the council had already set aside were difficult to provide due to a limited $160 million annual budget. Further ratepayer funds for the project were highly unlikely.
City of Adelaide Minister John Rau said he expected to receive plans from the Council in May but added "no decisions can be made about the next steps until the plans have been received."
However, the Council is already facing external calls to abandon the Victoria Square plans and focus on other needy public spaces like Rundle Mall.
BusinessSA Chief Executive Peter Vaughan said "there's no reason to spend all that money on something no one will use and that competes with what would be built at the Riverbank. The emphasis will move to Rundle Mall and North Adelaide and away from Victoria Square."