by Shane Sody

V‏ictoria Park / Pakapakanthi (Park 16) is a park divided.  Two rival forces are pulling the largest area of your Adelaide Park Lands in opposite directions. One of those two forces already has the money to achieve its purposes.

This year, so far, $18 million of State funding has been confirmed, to increase carbon emissions and the area of concrete in Victoria Park.  On the other hand, a grant application for $47,180 to subsidise community tree planting is hanging in the balance.

Northern side - combustion and concrete approved
On the northern side of Victoria Park, home to more than 160 years of horse racing history, contractors for the SA Motor Sport Board are about to start erecting fences and temporary grandstands.

But more disturbing, the Chief Executive SA Motor Sport Board, Mark Warren has told Adelaide City Councillors that an extra 1,300 square metres of concrete is needed in the centre area of Victoria Park, for race facilities.

That 1,300 square metres is the equivalent of two suburban blocks of land, or the playing surface of five tennis courts.

The City Council has no power to prevent this.  State law to promote motor racing (the SA Motor Sport Act 1984) legally over-rides any protections for your Park Lands.  The City Council acknowledged this at its meeting on Tuesday 12 July.

The demands of motor racing will also lead to road closures over the next few months, as preparations continue for the return of the motor racing carnival in early December.

Despite declaring a climate emergency only a few weeks ago, the new State Labor Government is also tipping in $18 million of taxpayers funds to effectively subsidise both the carbon emissions caused by the event, and the loss of green space to the new concrete and bitumen surfaces.

Southern side - trees, please!
However on the southern side of Victoria Park, there are different forces at work:  a local group of residents is hopeful of increasing green tree canopy to improve shade and comfort for park visitors year-round.

The South-East City Residents Association (SECRA) has applied for a Green Adelaide Grassroots Grant to "Green Victoria Park/ Pakapakanthi to adapt to climate change and enhance biodiversity."

SECRA's Professor Doug McEvoy says:

"Lack of shade on walking paths and around sports fields has caused people to stop using the Park during the increasingly long, hot summers caused by climate change.

"Biodiversity also needs to be enhanced. Eucalypts on the Park’s perimeters are devoid of sub-storey to attract small birds, insects and reptiles. In partnership with the City of Adelaide, we will engage local community and school groups to plant 100 semi-mature eucalypts to increase shade in the southern section of the Park.

"Concurrently, we will run a community workshop with resident groups, schools and landscape and ecology experts to learn how Miyawaki style mini or “pocket” woodlands could be deployed in the Park (and elsewhere in Adelaide) to accelerate plant growth, rapidly improve biodiversity, lower summer temperatures and improve amenity, without compromising park functions."

SECRA's application for $47,180 in Green Adelaide's "Grassroots Grants" funding has been endorsed by:

• the Adelaide Park Lands Association;

• Senior staff within the City of Adelaide's Park Lands management team;

• Kent Town Residents' Association;

• East Residents Association;

• Gilles St Primary School;

• Rose Park Primary School;

• Christian Brothers College; and

• Dr Scott Hawken, Director of the Landscape Architecture program, University of Adelaide.

In our letter of support, President Shane Sody said:

”APA shares SECRA’s concern that (without increasing tree canopy) the longer and hotter summers associated with climate change will increase the frequency of days on which it will become difficult or impossible for people to use the park safely for recreation. APA therefore enthusiastically supports SECRA’s greening project grant application.”

The application by SECRA is one of many applications to Green Adelaide for "Grassroots Grants" funding. It is a competitive grants process and there is no guarantee the application will be successful, wholly or even partially.