The Directors of Holmes Dyer undertook a comprehensive analysis of the implications of relocating the Royal Adelaide Hospital from its site at the corner of North Terrace and Frome Road to its new location at the corner of North Terrace, West Terrace and Port Road.
The analysis investigated the number of jobs that would relocate and the economic activity that would shift as a consequence of that relocation and then considered the options for backfilling the old site, the degree to which that could compensate for the economic loss and the timeframes involved in reinstating that activity.
The evaluation included a survey of employees, students and visitors to the old RAH site to establish their visitation levels to the East End, spending, dining and entertainment activities within the East End, a survey of East End traders to understand their level of reliance on local trade, and investigations into the degree to which the hospital utilised local services, car parking, and any supply chain linkages between the hospital and surrounding land uses .
A second study was then undertaken to identify the possible positive impacts on economic activity in the West End and the degree to which that might translate into new development, services and employment serving the new hospital staff and hospital operations, as well as the linkages required to connect the hospital with the West End.
