Aquinas College will be the latest private school to undergo a multi-million-dollar upgrade, proposing an arts precinct, hockey building, tennis courts and a university facility.
Aquinas College will be the latest private school to undergo a multi-million-dollar upgrade, proposing an arts precinct, hockey building, tennis courts and a facility for university interactions.
The Metro Inner Development Assessment Panel unanimously approved the school's $25 million proposal to upgrade the college on Mt Henry Road in Salter Point.
Aquinas College proposed to build a 650-seat recital hall, music centre, hockey building, tennis courts, and a university teaching centre for students and tertiary institutions to interact.
The project is expected to create about 4,800 square metres of additional floorspace across four buildings, the development application said.
The proposed arts precinct for Aquinas College would be one of the most substantial developments at the school in 40 years, according to the development application prepared by Christou Architecture.
"The addition of these four new buildings at the front of the campus is designed to create a prominent entry statement that reflects the school’s values and pedagogy while enhancing the arrival experience," the application reads.
"This development will also facilitate interaction with the local and school community, addressing a need that was previously unmet due to the historically closed and private nature of the campus."
DAP deputy presiding member Karen Hyde said the upgrade was a contemporary way of supporting the children's broader education.
"It will support the educational purposes of the school, something which a lot of competitors have," she said at the meeting.
DAP specialist member Eugene Koltasz said there had been a number of school upgrade applications coming before the panel for consideration.
Last year, the panel approved Christ Church Grammar School's $20 million plan to build a sporting facility on a former landfill site in Mt Claremont.
The facility comprises two full-sized football ovals, a smaller sized oval, two cricket turf pitches and a two-storey pavilion with capacity for 120 people.
The DAP also approved a $32 million sports centre at Wesley College in March 2023, which includes an extension to the school's gym at Coode Street through new indoor basketball courts, a function centre, lecture theatre, classrooms and tennis courts.
A $25 million proposal by Santa Maria College to build a two-storey performing arts centre at its Attadale campus was approved by the DAP last year.
In 2022, the DAP approved Christ Church Grammar School's application to build a four-storey performing arts facility, estimated to cost $29 million.
