by Shane Sody
There are many sites within your Adelaide Park Lands that are not open to you.
For various reasons, either the City Council or State Government agencies have fenced off parts of your Park Lands to prevent your access.
Soon, however, one of those fences might be coming down.
The decades-old wire fence near the River Torrens / Karrawirra Pari in your Helen Mayo Park (Park 27). Why is it there?
This fence in your Helen Mayo Park does not seem to be serving any purpose.
Recently we alerted the City Council to the fact that the area on both sides of the fence is accessible to the public, either from the river, or from the higher ground in Helen Mayo Park.
The fence is not keeping people off the nearby railway line because there is a much higher, imposing fence (topped with razor wire) further south that is fulfilling that role.
There is a gate in the fence which is unlocked so it's easy to get through the fence anyway.
The only danger here seems to be the possibility of slipping down the slope if you try to climb up to the higher part of Helen Mayo Park.
There is a sign on the fence warning of 'danger' but it's not obvious what danger exists.
In response a City spokesperson advised:
"We are currently reviewing [the fence's] purpose and ownership. Should it be determined that the fence is no longer required, we will take steps to have it removed."
This is Helen Mayo Park, within Park 27, on both sides of the fence.
There are no such promises coming from the State Government in relation to the fences that are preventing your access to other parts of Park 27.
These two fences along Gaol Road are restrictions on what should be part of your Open Green Public Adelaide Park Lands.
The State Government has admitted that it's holding these Park 27 sites hostage and will release them to you, only after construction of a $3 billion hospital.
We’ve challenged the State Government to release the hostage sites, and bring forward the removal of these fences that are preventing public access to these areas of your Park Lands.
