by Shane Sody
Discussions over the past few days have raised hopes that a disused patch of bitumen in your Park Lands can soon be re-greened.
The City Council will soon debate a motion to get firm costings to remove bitumen surfacing from a section of Josie Agius Park / Wikaparntu Wirra (Park 22) near the corner of Anzac Highway and Greenhill Road.
The site, approximately 1,960 square metres; in Park 22 near the corner of Greenhill Road and Anzac Highway.
It’s been years since this area was used for netball. These former disused courts are set apart from the well-used netball areas that are under floodlights, nearby.
Outlined in yellow: the site of the disused, former netball courts, alongside the existing well-used resurfaced 24 courts.
A motion that was on the City Council agenda last Tuesday 13 August, was intended to start the process of returning this area to ‘Open, Green, Public.’
However the motion was withdrawn, and debate postponed, to begin talks with the SA United Church Netball Association, which manages the adjacent 24 courts.
Deputy Lord Mayor, Cr Keiran Snape (left) and the President of the SA Church Netball Association, Kate Plew.
Council staff have estimated that the cost of bitumen removal could be as high as $300,000, excluding contamination management.
Nevertheless, removing the bitumen surface is consistent with Council planning as it’s one of eight Park Lands sites identified for potential return as a "high priority" over the next "one to five years"
When the City Council does fund the bitumen removal, it would open the way to invite literally thousands of Park Lands supporters and netballers to help re-green and beautify this area, for the benefit of the netball community, and the broader public.
President of the SA Church Netball Association, Kate Plew, says she’s looking forward to working on the re-greening project:
“The South Australia United Church Netball Association Inc (SAUCNA) has a proud 91 year history and our 10,000 weekly users feel privileged that most of this has been at Josie Agius Park / Wikaparntu Wirra (Park 22).
“We look forward to the opportunity to work with the Adelaide Park Lands Association and Adelaide City Council to collaborate on re-greening the area in a responsible and balanced manner to create great outcomes for all parties and the wider general public.”
Councillor Snape told us:
“This is an exciting opportunity for our Park Lands and our community. For years council has talked about its desire to re-green swathes of our Park Lands, now we have our first real opportunity to put words into action.
“To do this we need to bring everyone along for the ride, that means creating a partnership between council, the Adelaide Park Lands Association and the SA United Church Netball Association, and not leaving anyone behind.”
Some of the many degraded disused hard-stand areas in your Park Lands, in need of restoration.
Background
For five years, the Adelaide Park Lands Association has been lobbying the City Council for permission to re-green one or more disused patches of bitumen in your Park Lands.
In October 2023, the City Council backed away from a previous informal commitment and informed us that for the foreseeable future, no sites were available for any community re-greening project. See the story:
Nevertheless, the new Draft Park Lands Management Strategy “Towards 2036” includes as a strategy, to "seek opportunities to increase greening and tree canopy, including through community participation."
The author of this article, Shane Sody, is the President of the Adelaide Park Lands Association and the editor of the semi-monthly newsletter, "Open Green Public".
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