The State Government will spend $115 million acquiring and refurbishing a University of South Australia building to host Adelaide’s second major city high school.

Premier Jay Weatherill had promised at the last state election that the new school would be built on the site of the existing Royal Adelaide Hospital on North Terrace.

However, he told reporters at a press conference this afternoon that the university’s Reid Building on Frome Road near Adelaide Zoo was a better site for the school, which would specialise in health and science.

Weatherill said that the State Government originally wanted to use the UniSA site for the new school, but that, at the time of the last election, the university was not interested in relinquishing the property.

“At the last state election, we said that we would construct a new high school at the RAH site. We believe that it [the Reid Building] is an even better location.

“It has all of the benefits of the old RAH site, but has really significant additional advantages – its proximity to playing fields that surround that particular site (and) its proximity to the university, botanic gardens and the zoo.

“We actually tried to secure this site … but it wasn’t available at that time.

“Since then, the University of South Australia has moved some of its research effort to North Terrace, so it now becomes available for us.

“The new city high school will cater for 1000 students and will operate from the beginning of term one in 2019.”

Weatherill said the UniSA site made the 2019 opening date less “tight”.

“It was going to be very tight to reach the 2019 deadline,” he said.

“This gives us a buffer.

“We are hoping to even shoot for an earlier opening date, but at the moment we can’t say that with any certainty.”

The Premier flanked by his ministers at today’s presser.

He said the announcement was good news for people living within an extended Adelaide High School Zone.

“The city high school zone will include now Bowden, Brompton, Hindmarsh, Hilton, Kurralta Park, Glandore, Black Forest, Nailsworth, Medindie, Medindie Gardens, Gilberton, Walkerville, Collinswood, as well as eastern parts of Torrensville, Mille End, Richmond, Marleston and the section of Clarence Park zoned to Black Forest Primary School,” Premier Weatherill said.

“With the educational focus on health and science and its proximity to universities, we think this high school will be a preeminent South Australian high school and set the standard … across the state.

“The school will be constructed following an $85 million refurbishment of the Reid Building, and also on lands secured from the University of South Australia for $30 million.”

He said building work was expected to begin within the next 12 months.

Minister for Education and Childhood Development Susan Close told the press conference the school would help bolster South Australia’s health and science research credentials into the future.

“To have a school dedicated to those two areas will really assist in developing the future researchers and workers of the future,” she said.

“This school is going to be one of the best-appointed schools that we’ll see in South Australia, by virtue of it being so new.”

Planning Minister John Rau said the State Government would have more to say about the use of the old RAH site “soon”.

Treasurer Tom Koutsantonis is due to hand down the 2015-16 State Budget next Thursday.

Weatherill said the name of the school remained subject to discussion.