By Civic Reporter JEMMA CHAPMAN

PLANS to block east-west traffic through Victoria Square will be drawn up for public comment, after Adelaide City Council endorsed the proposal last night.
Closing the Grote and Wakefield streets connector is part of a multimillion-dollar revitalisation planned for the city's central west precinct.

Draft urban design master plans on the project will now be prepared for public consultation.

The project, aimed at boosting the city's population and economy, was endorsed five votes to three, with councillors Judith Brine, Greg Mackie, Bob Angove, Bruno Ventura and Bert Taylor supporting it.

Councillors Anne Moran, Michael Harbison and Richard Hayward voted against it.

The project would see the centre of Victoria Square become a paved plaza available only to emergency vehicles.

A bus-only lane would cut through the square and meet the tram line, which would be moved about 50m south.

As well as the Victoria Square plans, the project includes:

REDEVELOPING the council-owned Balfours and Franklin St bus station sites into high-density housing, student accommodation and commercial uses.

UPGRADING Grote St, including widening footpaths, constructing a continuous tree-lined median strip and creating bicycle paths.

MAKING improvements to the Central Market including upgrading the frontages to Grote and Gouger streets and improving disabled access and waste management.

REVAMPING Chinatown in Moonta St.

The council has budgeted $26 million in capital works expenditure for the project over the next three years.

Speaking in support of the redevelopment at last night's meeting, Mr Mackie said it would be one of the council's "most exciting and impressive" projects.

"I truly believe this will put the heart back into the city," he said.

Reflecting on the council's previous inaction in relation to Victoria Square, Ms Brine said: "I think it's very important that this time we don't let the chance pass by.

Mr Moran, Mr Harbison and Mr Hayward stressed they were in favour of most aspects of the revitalisation but they could not support it because it included endorsing the blocking of east-west traffic through Victoria Square.

Ms Moran said the closure would not only be detrimental to Grote St traders but threatened to "choke the life out of surrounding streets including Franklin and Flinders.

Speaking at the council's public forum last night, city developer George Kambitsis urged the council to "show the courage" to endorse the plans.

"Ultimately you are being presented with the best and last chance for this current council to act on Victoria Square, the central west and in fact on a significant blueprint for the future," he said.

Once the plans have gone out to public consultation, the council will consider them again, make desired changes and decide whether to finally approve the project to allow work to begin.