The City of Adelaide has been urged to plan for an Adelaide Park Lands future AFTER carbon emission motor racing.

A draft “Master Plan” for Victoria Park / Pakapakanthi (Park 16) includes welcome proposals for increased tree planting and biodiversity. However it stops short of any vision for what this Park could become after 2026, when the Government’s contract for publicly-subsidised V8 supercar racing is due to expire.

Victoria Park / Pakapakanthi (Park 16) is the largest single Park within your Adelaide Park Lands.

However, large areas of the Park are covered in bitumen, for the main purpose of motor racing on only a handful of days each year until November 2026.

The draft Master Plan has some excellent initiatives under the headings:

• 5.2 - strengthening the path hierarchy;

• 5.3 - greening Fullarton Road;

• 5.4 - celebrate cultural connections;

• 5.6 - additional tree and biodiversity plantings, although the plan’s target is to increase tree canopy cover across the park by only 4%; and

• 5.7 - reveal and reconnect the water.

On 11 September 2023, APA lodged a response to the draft Master Plan.

You can endorse our submission, and/or make your own.

Consultation was due to close on Monday 11 September, but we have been assured that comments from APA members and supporters will be accepted for another week, until 9am on Monday 18 September.

How to respond

See the City Council’s Victoria Park / Pakapakanthi (Park 16) Master Plan here: https://yoursay.cityofadelaide.com.au/draft-victoria-park-masterplan

That page offers you several options for submitting your feedback, via (a) an on-line survey, forum or comment on a map; (b) email, or (c) posr.

Before making your own comment, you can read APA’s submission here: https://www.adelaide-parklands.asn.au/s/2023-09-11-APA-Submission-re-Victoria-Park-Draft-Master-Plan.pdf