Ignoring the elephant
by Shane Sody
State Government bureaucrats are pressing ahead with plans for a new $80 million building on your Park Lands despite clear community feedback that it should go elsewhere.
More than 3,200 people have signed a petition to Premier Peter Malinauskas that a new Aquatic Centre should go on a convenient brownfield site, such as at Hindmarsh or Thebarton.
We’ve written twice to the Premier (20 December 2022 and 8 March 2023) to advise him of the community response. So far, he has not replied.
The petition is still open and you can add your name to it: https://www.change.org/p/save-these-trees-choose-a-brownfield-site-for-new-aquatic-centre
On 6 March 2023, we joined hundreds of others in lodging a formal objection to State Government plans to re-zone this Park.
Even though development in this Park has not been authorised by the City Council, and would be inconsistent with current zoning, the State Government is nevertheless pressing ahead with its plans to tear down dozens of trees, including century old sugar gums in Denise Norton Park / Pardipardinyilla (Park 2).
Even the Government’s own consultants have pointed out the effect that this would have on native wildlife.
In the meantime, the Department of Infrastructure is pressing ahead as if it had community support for another attack on your Park Lands.
It’s latest “Project Update” dated March 2023 does not even acknowledge the feedback; ignoring the elephant in the room.
Images from the State Government’s “March 2023 Project Update”
Hopefully, the community feedback on the design of the proposed new Centre will be equally useful and applicable when (or if) the State Government belatedly starts to Love Your Park Lands and purchases an alternative brownfield site instead.
The attack on your Park Lands for a new Aquatic Centre here (instead of on a brownfield site) is just one of six attacks on your Park Lands authorised by the State Government in its first 12 months of office.
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See our earlier coverage of the proposed new Aquatic Centre:
On 6 March 2023, we joined hundreds of others in lodging a formal objection to State Government plans to re-zone Denise Norton Park / Pardipardinyilla (Park 2).
Council joins Aquatic Centre brownfield push (2 Feb 2023)
Government to chop falcon, possum, cockatoo habitat (27 Jan 2023)
Aquatic centre double press: Gov’t and Council (15 Jan 2023)
Aquatic centre: petition reaches 1,000 signatures (20 Dec 2022)
Cognitive dissonance on your tree canopy (4 Dec 2022)
Ideal brownfield opportunity (29 Nov 2022)
Diversions, illusions on Park attacks (12 Nov 2022)
Demand brownfield building sites instead (28 Oct 2022)
Patrick’s FOI probe on Aquatic Centre bungle (26 Sept 2022)
Hands Up for your Trees (12 Sept 2022)
New Aquatic Centre site targets dozens of mature trees (5 Sept 2022)
No assurances on tree destruction plans (15 Aug 2022)
When given a real choice (31 July 2022)
Aquatic centre consultation farce (22 July 2022)
Hindmarsh, Brompton, for an Aquatic Centre? (30 June 2022)
Olympic swimmer backs Park restoration (29 June 2022)
Imagine a restoration of this Park (20 June 2022)
State Gov’t tree threats making national headlines (16 June 2022)
Think Outside the Box for locations (26 May 2022)
Aquatic mistakes - learn from history and restore a Park (16 Feb 2022)