The designs for the Adelaide City Council’s $15m upgrade of Hindley Street feature wider footpaths for outdoor dining, upgraded pedestrian crossings and CCTV. 

The street will be narrowed, with widened footpaths to facilitate outdoor dining and three upgraded pedestrian crossings installed to improve safety. 

Lord Mayor Jane Lomax-Smith said the upgrades are “long overdue” as Hindley Street was last upgraded in 1999. 

The upgrade will cover the length of Hindley Street between King William and Morphett streets.

The western part of the street near UniSA’s City West campus underwent upgrades from 2014 to 2017. The council says this project will complement the prior upgrades. 

“This end of Hindley Street is part of our premier entertainment precinct but has become tired and needs to be upgraded,” Lomax-Smith said.

The first concept plans published by the council last year proposed reducing the number of on-street car parks from 66 to 46 and introducing “flexi-zones” to be used for parking and loading, as well as outdoor dining and retail displays. 

Lomax-Smith said the changes to Hindley Street have been designed to encourage a blend between the entertainment strip’s day and night-time economies. 

The council acknowledged declining nightlife as a threat to the West End earlier this year.

Lomax-Smith said the focus was on pedestrians because during peak times, eight times more pedestrians than vehicles used Hindley Street. 

Other features include improved street lighting, CCTV, more trees and new public toilets in Produce Lane. 

The council is seeking feedback from the public and key stakeholders before an expected release of final designs in September 2024, with construction earmarked to start in early 2025.

Drop–in sessions about the current plans for Hindley Street property owners and traders will run on April 30 at the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra offices.

Drop-in sessions will be open to the public between 11am–1pm and 5-7pm on Thursday, May 2.