South Australian Police and Courts

South Australian Regional Police Station and Courts (SAPOL) was the first public private partnership (PPP) in the state of South Australia, requiring Plenary to design, build, finance and maintain nine new police and courts facilities in six locations across South Australia.

The Plenary Justice consortium overcame the significant challenge of geographically-spread sites to deliver all nine facilities on budget and ahead of time.

The project was driven by a need to provide modern civic infrastructure as many of the existing facilities had been built in the 1950s.

Design features

Construction was undertaken across six regional locations, with each site having its own unique planning considerations.

With one exception, all sites were brownfield redevelopments, and involved a demanding transition phase, with continuation of sensitive police and court operations on site a requirement.

Local planning, including heritage matters, were a priority at all sites, and Plenary engaged a local historian to develop a restoration plan for significant buildings on existing sites.

Construction was fast-tracked through the selection of simple, efficient building elements such as pre-cast cells, light weight steel framing and creating an appropriate civic design.

Local economic impacts

SAPOL fulfills the state government’s requirements for new, functional, energy-efficient facilities that enhance police and court operations throughout South Australia.

The new facilities replaced those built in the 1950s, extending their useful economic lives to enable more efficient, effective law enforcement.