World Body Urged: Don't Fall for Adelaide "Park City" hypocrisy

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The London-based National Park City Foundation has been urged not to fall for State Government hypocrisy in seeking "Park City" status for Adelaide, while the Government continues to attack the Open Green Public Adelaide Park Lands.

The SA Government has started the process of seeking endorsement of Adelaide as the world's second National Park City.

However, APA has advised the National Park City Foundation that the Adelaide bid cannot be taken seriously, because the State Government keeps on attacking Park Lands.

Trust us! This is how we manage Park Lands!

A letter to the Foundation from APA President Shane Sody lists eight recent examples of State-sponsored Park Lands attacks.

The list exposes the hypocrisy of the South Australia Government claiming recognition for its attitude towards Parks. These attacks, itemised in the letter, include:

• the commercial takeover of the former public Festival Plaza, in Park 26;

• Adelaide Oval Hotel in Park 26;

• Botanic High school in Park 11;

• a proposed new 15,000 seat stadium in Helen Mayo Park, Park 27;

• a new Womens and Children's Hospital off Port Road in Park 27;

• a new multi-storey car park in Kate Cocks Park, Park 27; and

• proposed Planning Code changes to allow major developments throughout a greatly enlarged "Riverbank precinct" throughout Parks 27, 26, 12 and 11.

Mr Sody has urged the National Park City Foundation to respond to the SA bid by urging the South Australian Government to "stop the continual plunder of Park Lands... and put in place enduring legal protection for this irreplaceable green asset."

“APA is not opposed to recognition of Adelaide by the National Park City Foundation” Mr Sody said. “However actual Park protection is more important than any title. It would be futile to have international recognition of an asset that the State Government is determined to continually damage.

“It is not too late for the State Government to wake up to its mistakes and pursue its major development agendas on commercial land rather than on the land that South Australians love: their Open Green Public Adelaide Park Lands.”

See the letter at this link: http://archives.adelaide-parklands.asn.au/Submissions%20and%20Letters/Letter_NPC_Foundation_16_August_2021.pdf

The City Council is also raising concerns about the State Government’s recent inititatives. See https://citymag.indaily.com.au/commerce/call-for-immediate-investigation-into-proposed-parklands-carpark/