A building used by the University of South Australia in Adelaide’s East End will be the site for a second city high school, the SA Government has confirmed.

The Reid building is in Frome Road behind the existing Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH).

Premier Jay Weatherill said the school would open in 2019 and cater for 1,000 students.

“The Government is investing $85 million into building the school, which will transform the current UniSA Reid building into one of the nation’s best public high schools,” he said.

Further acquisitions on the site will cost another $30 million, the Government said.

It made a pledge at the last election to build the new school on the site of the existing Royal Adelaide Hospital, which is moving west in the city to the other end of North Terrace.

The building had been tipped for a new school in early May but it had not been confirmed until today.

Opposition education spokesperson David Pisoni said building a high school behind the hospital represented a broken promise.

“Before the election, the Premier said the Royal Adelaide Hospital site was the best possible site for a second city high school,” he said.

“Now the Government’s announced a second hand building up the road for $115 million, $30 million more than the costed document they presented at the last election.”

Mr Weatherill said the Reid building was a better location for a school as it was closer to playing fields, the Botanic Gardens and Adelaide Zoo.

“It has all of the benefits of the old RAH site but has really significant additional advantages,” he said.

The Government said the new school would specialise in health and sciences.

The city high school zone is to be expanded to include suburbs such as Bowden, Nailsworth, eastern parts of Torrensville, Mile End and part of Clarence Park.

Construction work on the new school will start within a year.

UniSA is moving out of the Reid building to a site in North Terrace, near the new Royal Adelaide Hospital.

Royal Automobile Association of SA road safety manager Charles Mountain said off-street car access would be required to avoid traffic congestion at the school.

“There is an access off Frome Road at the moment but it would need to be reconfigured to ensure that people could safely drive in, drop children off or pick them up and then move off quickly, so that would be important to avoid any form of congestion or queuing occurring,” he said.

He said the school’s location would be suited to students using public transport or cycling.

“This… highlights the need to complete the remaining section of the bicycle corridor from North Terrace down to Pirie Street to provide that good linkage all the way through from the south parklands, through the north parklands, and then North Adelaide,” Mr Mountain said.

Author: Angelique Donnellan

(Article attribution to: ‘ABC News, Adelaide, Sourced on 9 June 2015, http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-06-09/second-adelaide-high-school-confirmed-for-university-of-sa-site/6532834’)

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