Re-zoning the Riverbank

This is the single biggest attack on your Open Green Public Park Lands in their 184-year history.

On 17 December 2021, the State Government announced the re-zoning of more than 30 hectares of riverside Park Lands and making it available for a wide range of development opportunities.

The groundwork for this re-zoning commenced in July 2021. The announced intention was to “progress infrastructure initiatives of State significance” including:

• a new multi-storey car park;

• a new Women’s and Children’s Hospital,

• a new 15,000 seat stadium or arena, and

• the biomedical precinct in Park 27,

However those “infrastructure initiatives” are not the only risks to your Park Lands. The re-zoning allows a wide range of other, unspecified further projects which might become “part of the State Government's wider vision for the Riverbank precinct as a premier health, entertainment and cultural boulevard.”

In the Government’s own words, the Code Amendment is desired to “align with future strategic directions with respect to land use and built form outcomes.”

The proposal was open for public comment for six weeks, from mid-September to late October 2021.

After taking into account public submissions, and the advice of the five-member State Planning Commission, the Planning Minister Josh Teague announced his decision at 4pm on Friday 17 December 2021.

The ambit of the Government’s initial proposals has been scaled back. The re-zoning approved by Minister Teague on 17 December targets an enormous area of your riverside Park Lands, but not as large as the Government’s iinitial ptroposal which would have let developers loose on 70 hectares - all of the area shaded by diagonal black lines below.

For most people, land use zoning dictates what can and can’t be built in a neighbourhood, You can’t build a factory in a residential zone. However, for the State Government, it is the other way around. It seems that land use planning rules must be changed, if they are in tension with the Government’s development objectives.

What sort of City removes protection from Parks so that Open Green Public land can be taken away?

Current planning rules have allowed Open Green Public Park Lands to be taken away in each of the coloured areas marked below:

However even these massive losses of Open Green Public space over recent years are not enough for the would-be Government developers. The new zoning changes affect a far wider area.

What could be built in these new zones? The announcement of 17 December 2021 specifies that residential development will not be permitted, but that ptesumably means that all of these potential uses will be allowed to replace Open Green Public Park Lands, in the “Entertainment Zone” alone:

• Arena

• Community centre

• Consulting room

• Convention centre

• Entertainment venue

• Helicopter landing facility

• Hospital

• Hotel

• Licensed premises

• Land division

• Light industry

• Office

• Pre-school

• Shop

• Tourist accommodation

Nowhere in the Government’s proposals or the Minister’s announcement on 17 December 2021 is there recognition that this land belongs to the people of South Australia, as Open Green Public Park Lands.

The Srate Government “consultation” during September-October 2021 was a sham. Even before that consultation had begun, the Government had already allocated funding and commissioned site survey works for a multi-storey car park that it wants to build in one of the re-zoned areas.

READ MORE:

• Two different visions for Park Lands (article)

• The Government's re-zoning document

• “Reckless and irresponsible” - the Advertiser’s Rex Jory (4 October 2021)

• "There’s a lot at stake in the State Government’s Park Lands grab" (InDaily, 20 October 2021)

• "Aboriginal leaders slam ‘insulting’ and ‘distressing’ Park Lands consultation" (InDaily, 22 October)

• "Adelaide City Council accuses Planning SA of trying to rush through Park Lands changes without enough time for public consultation" ( The Advertiser, 26 October, $$ subscriber-only link)

THE DEATH OF 1,000 CUTS

Repeated Park Lands losses were once characterised as like "mice nibbling away at cheese".   However recent attacks seem more like a debaucherous feast with participants devouring whatever is available, while it lasts.

The rate of Park Lands loss seems set to ratchet up exponentially unless the public can be alerted to save what's really precious and priceless.

There are many other sites within Adelaide Park Lands that are under imminent threat, or current attack.

If you think Adelaide can do better than this, then TAKE ACTION!