by Shane Sody

A review of possible sites for a new Women's and Children's Hospital has found that a site near the corner of West Terrace and North Terrace would be "relatively inexpensive" to acquire, and would offer a significantly better connectivity with the broader biomedical, research and university precinct.

Last month, the State Labor Government unveiled plans to destroy Kate Cocks Park within your Park Lands, as well as the State Heritage-listed Thebarton Police Barracks. The Malinauskas Government is falsely claiming that there is no other potential site for a new Women's and Children's Hospital.

However, a State Government "Site Issues Working Group" (SIWG) analysed several different sites for the proposed hospital.

The working group's report found that putting a new Women's and Children's Hospital on the site of the Thebarton Police Barracks and your Open Green Public Kate Cocks Park would be a choice with "the poorest connection to the CBD, and limited connection to the inner western suburbs. As such, there is very little access to commercial car parking options, hotels, retail and patient centred services within a walkable distance."

The SIWG report failed to acknowledge that the Thebarton Police barracks site would also lead to the destruction of this adjacent forest within Kate Cocks Park:

On the other hand, the report found that a site on the corner of West Terrace and North Terrace would "significantly enhance the attractiveness of the north- west quadrant of the Adelaide CBD for further private investment from allied health and complementary industry".

So why is the State Government pressing ahead with its Park Lands choice? Why is it choosing to attack your Open Green Public Kate Cocks Park and demanding the demolition of ten heritage-listed buildings within the Thebarton Police Barracks?

Firstly, it's down to cost. The SIWG estimates that the cost of building on the corner of West Terrace and North Terrace would be 10% greater: i.e. $3.3 billion, rather than $3 billion.

Second, it's because the SIWG gave no weight at all to the value of your Adelaide Park Lands, and no weight to the value of the Heritage buildings within the Police Barracks in Park 27. Its "weighting" of the pros and cons of each option looked at:

• Clinical 40%,

• Master Planning 12.5%

• Construction 20%,

• Transport 12.5%,

• Site Issues 10% (i.e. the difficulty of obtaining approvals; not the value of what would be destroyed); and

• External Factors 5%

Third, one of the reasons given for recommending a Park Lands site is the likelihood of future expansion, further into your Park Lands.

The State Government has uncritically accepted the SIWG report's recommendation, despite the fact that the report assigns no value to your Adelaide Park Lands, no value to State Heritage listed buildings, and assesses the prospect of future Park Lands losses as a positive rather than a negative.

The State Government is trying to portray this decision as a binary choice: your heritage and your Park Lands; versus a new hospital. Of course, it's not a binary choice.

By refusing to give any weight at all to heritage or Park Lands issues, the Government is indicating that it's out of touch; that it's in thrall to a posse of architects, and clinicians who want to build their dream hospital, rather than a win-win for patients, hospital visitors and staff, city development, heritage protection and the future health benefits of saving your Park Lands.

Don't Mess with the Park Lands - National Heritage Chair

Former Victorian Premier and now Chair of the Australian Heritage Council, Ted Baillieu has come to the defence of your Adelaide Park Lands.

Your Park Lands have been National Heritage listed since 2008, so this debate has gone national.

Interviewed by the ABC's national 7.30 program on Tuesday 11 October 2022 (and again on 891 ABC Radio Adelaide the following morning) Mr Baillieu said: "No one should mess, and can't mess, with a national listing without the approval of the federal minister."

"Because, on the surface, it appears that the new location chosen would breach the boundaries of the national listing."

The Government has admitted that this adjacent garden (pictured below) also within Park 27 of your Park Lands, would be reserved for “RAH future expansion space”.

Read the ABC story here: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-10-12/south-australian-government-heritage-listed-site-for-hospital/101522010

Or watch the 7.30 Report on inView: https://iview.abc.net.au/video/NC2201H162S00

Police to re-locate onto Park Lands?

Meanwhile, Police Commissioner Grant Stevens has not ruled out seeking to re-establish at least some of the Thebarton Police Barracks on a different site within your Park Lands.

On 891 ABC Radio, on 12 October, Commissioner Stevens was asked by David Bevan if any part of the barracks would be re-established on Park Lands. His response: "not necessarily".

He said police horses would need to be relocated to within "roughly a 5km radius from the CBD" but he was not asked to rule out the possibility that other police operations currently based at Thebarton (i.e. the dog squad, armoury, protective security, police band, historical society, road safety staff) would be contemplated on your Open Green Public Adelaide Park Lands.

Planning the future with a $3.2 billion park lands confrontation

North Adelaide journalist and researcher John Bridgland has read the SIWG report (so you won’t have to) and compiled this breakdown of why the State Government has chosen to pick a fight with both Adelaide Park Lands lovers, and State heritage advocates. (PDF, 8 pages 13 Mb)

Outgoing City Councillors oppose proposed WCH Park Lands location

At a meeting on Tuesday 11 October, the outgoing Adelaide City Council elected members voted to oppose the Government’s preferred site for a new Women’s and Children’s Hospital.

CityMag’s Angela Skuljins reports: https://citymag.indaily.com.au/happening/clear-message-councillors-oppose-new-wch-location/