Saving Parks - a health measure
by Shane Sody
Premier Peter Malinauskas has been urged to consider saving Adelaide’s Park Lands as part of the Government’s overall health strategy.
This garden off Port Road, within your Park 27, was chosen by the previous State Liberal Government as the site for a new Women’s and Children’s Hospital.
Doctors have expressed concerns that the site is too small, and the current Labor State Government is conducting a review of the site. Results of the review may be months away, but the Premier has told the ABC that “all options are on the table.”
APA has written to the Premier urging reconsideration of a site across North Terrace in the CBD; and saving this Park 27 site for future generations to enjoy.
This Park 27 area, next to the Royal Adelaide hospital, was landscaped several years ago, to provide a pleasant garden setting for patients, staff and visitors to the RAH. It would be a setback for public health if it were to be destroyed, especially when there is an alternative, viable, non-Park Lands site available for a new Women’s and Children’s Hospital.
Our letter to the Premier cites research on the health benefits of spending time in nature, and reminds him of several Park Lands sites that are presently under threat from various Government projects.
We’ve also urged the Premier to work towards strengthening legal protection for your Open Green Public Park Lands.
Read our letter to the Premier here.
UPDATE - FRIDAY 26 AUGUST 2022
Hopes have been raised that aboriginal heritage issues could require the State Government to find an alternative site for the proposed hospital. The Government is seeking legal advice after a decision by the Supreme Court on aboriginal heritage issues at an unrelated (proposed exploration drilling) site in the State’s north.
In an announcement to the Australian Stock Exchange, mining company Argonaut Resources said development approvals granted by the State Government could be impacted by the Supreme Court ruling. Argonaut cited the proposed new Women’s and Children’s Hospital as an example.