The SkyCity Entertainment Group had earlier submitted plans to revamp and upgrade its Adelaide casino but there remained a lot of speculation as to whether the plans would get approval considering the fact that the casino is linked to the Adelaide railway station which is a heritage building.

The proposed $300 million expansion plans would require certain heritage parts to be demolished in order for the casino proceed with its plans of building a luxury hotel that has 80 rooms overlooking the river Torrens and a redevelopment of the North Terrace. However after a lot of deliberation the Development Assessment Commission (DAC) gave SkyCity approval on the majority of it plans but threw in some stipulated conditions for approval of the remaining parts of the project.

One of those conditions require the Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure to analyze a detailed photographic from a heritage architect who will capture the exact elements that will be demolished at the heritage site. The commission also requires SkyCity to furnish full details of its plans concerning the podium and entry link before a full approval is rolled out.

The DAC informed SkyCity officials that its planning proposal had very limited information regarding its plans for the podium and materiality which meant that there were still a number of concerns on the design response and unless full details were disclosed, final approval will remain pending.

The $300 million Adelaide casino expansion is expected to create thousands of jobs in South Australia and stimulate market growth. The new expansion will target both international and domestic visitors and construction is expected to begin towards the middle of this year.

In a statement, Nigel Morrison, chief executive of SkyCity said “SkyCity has worked in close collaboration with the planning authorities to secure our vision for this development, ensuring we took on board concerns that were relayed to us about the heritage-listed railway station, which will remain intact under the approved plans.”

The expansion project is expected to create around 500 temporary construction jobs and an additional 1,000 permanent jobs once the new facility becomes fully operational. The new facility will also give Adelaide’s Riverbank Precinct an upgrade and make it one of the top destinations in South Australia as it already includes the Riverbank Footbridge and Convention Centre West Building and the famous Adelaide Oval.

The new expansion proposal has faced opposition from Nick Xenophon who is a campaigner for no pokies and an independent senator. Xenophon states that the new facility will generate more revenue because it will aggressively promote gambling which will have a negative impact on the community as it encourages more South Australians to spend their money at the casino and expose them to gambling addictions.