by Shane Sody

We hope you love your Park Lands, and we hope that you will help us spread the love. The greatest challenge that we face, every day, is trying to convince the State Government to Love Your Park Lands too.

Since being elected in March, the current State Government has three times rejected opportunities to choose brownfield sites for promised new infrastructure. Within its first seven months in office, the State Government has chosen parts of your Park Lands as construction sites for each one of:

• a $98 million high school extension;

• an $82 million new aquatic centre; and

• a $3 billion new hospital with associated eight-storey car park.

From left to right: a $90 million third adjacent High School building on Park 11; an Aquatic Centre proposed on a new site within Park 2; and a hospital, with multi-storey car park within Park 27.

Each one of these proposed constructions could be built on an alternative brownfield site, with no loss of trees. If each of them is built where currently proposed, your Park Lands would lose, in total, hundreds of mature trees.

It is clear that the Malinauskas Labor Government just doesn't get it. Their announcements make it clear that the State Government does not appreciate your Park Lands other than as potential building sites.

Nor is there any guarantee these three projects will be the only Park Lands threats from the current State Government.

SA Police, on notice to leave their barracks within Park 27, are now looking for a new site for their dog squad and mounted operations. More than 200 employees at the Park 27 Thebarton Police barracks could be shifted into another yet-to-be-identified Park Lands building site.

The world's only City in a Park is losing its Park, (your Park) slice by slice and this State Government is doing its utmost to hasten the rate of losses.

When will it stop? When will this State Government (or a future State Government) decide that enough of your Park Lands have been lost? When will there be real protection, to prevent more and more losses of your Park Lands?

Last week, the Deputy Premier and Minister for the Environment, Susan Close put herself forward to talk to you about "greening our city."

APA members booked tickets, to hear Dr Close "talk about her vision for South Australia’s environment across a range of topics including working with First Nations, climate change, improving biodiversity, saving threatened species, and greening our city."

Ironically Dr Close chose, as her venue; the Pavilion in Veale Gardens, Park 21 for her function last Monday, 10 October 5.00pm to 6.30pm.

In February 2022, during the State election campaign, Dr Close said:

"Labor's commitment is to improve SA's tree regulations so they are the best in Australia. .... Under the current regulations, DIT [the Department of Infrastructure and Transport] is not required to submit planning approval for the removal of significant and regulated trees ... The community believes that the Government should lead by example. This exception is not in line with community expectations and allows for the unnecessary removal of many of our mature trees."

However APA members were disappointed. The Minister did NOT explain why the State Government is proposing "unnecessary removal of many of our mature trees" at three Park Lands sites, rather than choosing brownfield sites for its promised new:

• high school extension,

• aquatic centre,

• hospital and

• multi-storey car park.

Nor did the Minister take the opportunity to listen to any views from APA members or others about why you Love Your Park Lands. There was no opportunity to ask questions, nor to remind Dr Close of the promise she made before the March State election.

One of our members who attended reported that it was “a rather self-indulgent session but then maybe that was the intention and our expectations were different!”

READ MORE ABOUT EACH OF THESE THREE ATTACKS; AND WHAT YOU CAN DO:

• WOMEN’s and CHILDREN’s HOSPITAL and associated CAR PARK;

• BOTANIC HIGH SCHOOL (including the role of the outgoing City Council (supposedly in caretaker mode) that endorsed the attack; and

• NEW AQUATIC CENTRE