Forest first to go
by Shane Sody
The State Government has admitted that this forest of olive and sheoak trees will be the first victim of its next Park Lands attack.
Last month, the State Government broke four promises (and ignored more than 8,000 petition signatories) when it destroyed dozens of trees in your Denise Norton Park / Pardipardinyilla (Park 2).
The State Government’s next attack is on Kate Cocks Park (in Park 27 of your Park Lands) where it is planning to build a $3 billion hospital, and eight-storey car park, replacing both the forest pictured above, and the State Heritage-listed Thebarton police barracks.
The Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek has refused to intervene, despite clear expert advice and 178 public submissions, many of which pointed out that current plans for a $3 billion Women’s and Children’s Hospital and eight-storey car park would adversely affect the National Heritage values of your Park Lands.
The planned new hospital will not be completed until 2031, but the State Government says these 50 trees will be axed very soon, (“work is set to begin”) to allow this multi-storey car park to be completed by 2027.
State Government artist’s impression of an eight-storey car park that is to replace the olive and sheoak forest alongside Gaol Road in Kate Cocks Park (Park 27).
An artist impression of the new WCH “energy building”: alongside the eight-storey car park in your Park Lands. Picture: State Government
Another broken promise
The State Government has broken another promise by planning to shift this long-standing police Road Safety course out of its Park Lands site, alongside the current Thebarton police barracks; and move it to West Beach at a cost to taxpayers of $4 million.
The Police Road Safety centre off Port Road in Bonython Park / Tulya Wardli (Park 27).
Read the story at InDaily: https://indaily.com.au/news/2023/12/11/on-your-bike-new-hospital-drives-road-safety-centre-out-of-city/
The BS postscript
The State Government is persisting with its discredited claim that the new hospital and car park will increase the area of “accessible” Park Lands. See “Adelaide Now” story of 3 December 2023 ($$ subscriber-only link).
The reality is that adjacent areas of your Park Lands are being held hostage - fenced off from you - simply so that the State Government can belatedly claim to have made them "accessible" - only after building next to them. https://www.adelaide-parklands.asn.au/blog/2022/10/19/restoration-challenge-issued