Adelaide Park Lands Association

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Council joins the “Restore” call

Shane Sody

by Shane Sody

The newly-elected City Council has called on the State Government to support a "long-term strategy" to restore lost areas of your Adelaide Park Lands.

The City Council has signalled it wants to be pro-active in its support for your Open Green Public garland of Parks.

The makeup of the City Council changed sharply after last month's elections.

It would appear that a majority of Councillors no longer want to fight rear-guard actions, always resisting repeated incursions, but now have an appreciation of the importance of restoring areas that have previously been Open Green Public.

There is now a sharp contrast between the City Council and a State Government which has launched six Park Lands attacks so far this year.

The City Council meeting on Tuesday 13 December, gave UNANIMOUS support to this motion from Councillor Keiran Snape:

“That the Adelaide City Council reaffirms its support for the unique belt of Park Lands surrounding the city square mile and North Adelaide, and seeks support from the State Government for a long-term strategy to identify built form within the Park Lands which could be returned to open and public space.”

An additional clause urging a different brownfield site for the proposed Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Park 27 was also passed, although not unanimously.

See coverage of this story in The Advertiser ($$ subscriber-only link).

However this motion will mean little if the City Council does not follow up, by resisting new, specific State Government Park Lands attacks.

The first real test will be a debate, next year, over the location of the proposed new State Government Aquatic Centre. All parties are hopeful of seeing the site of the current Aquatic Centre eventually restored to Open Green Public Park Lands.

However the question is whether this hoped-for Park Lands restoration would be offset by an equivalent loss, attacking the same Park, nearby.

The State Government has refused to even acknowledge overwhelming community support for an Aquatic Centre brownfield site; and is pressing ahead with proposals to attack a new site within Denise Norton Park / Pardipardinyilla (Park 2).

“Hands Up for your trees” in Denise Norton Park / Pardipardinyilla (Park 2) in September 2022. Pic: Alex Frayne

Unless the State Government changes course, and heeds the community feedback, it is expected that the City Council, next year, will be asked to approve a new Park Lands lease for a new Aquatic Centre in Park 2.

The City Council can choose to push back. The City Council can instead demand that the State Government select a brownfield site: perhaps the old West End Brewery site on Port Road at Thebarton.

What can you do?

You can help, by urging each one of the City Councillors to stand strong and (consistent with the resolution that they passed on Tuesday 13 December) urge the State Government to protect and restore, instead of attacking.

Here are their contact addresses. See below for a brief suggested email that you can send to each of them.


Suggested email (please amend as you see fit)

Dear Councillor:

Congratulations for your decision on 13 December 2022, to support the Adelaide Park Lands.

I especially appreciate the Council’s expressed willingness to engage with the State Government on a long-term strategy to restore parts of the Park Lands to ‘Open, Green, Public.’

This Council resolution will be put to the test in 2023 if the State Government continues its agenda to construct an $82 million aquatic centre on a new site in Denise Norton Park / Pardipardinyilla (Park 2). The State Government so far has ignored overwhelming community demand to select a brownfield site instead.

When push comes to shove next year, I hope that you will stand firm on your commitment to the Park Lands, respect the wishes of the public, reject any new lease over any part of the Park Lands and advise the State Government instead to choose a brownfield site.

Regards

Hands Up for your trees!

What else can you do?