YOUR VOICE IS BEING HEARD - SUPPORT FOR PARK LANDS GROWING
Something very encouraging is emerging in Adelaide.
The number of people supporting the Adelaide Park Lands is swelling.
APPA members sometimes feel discouraged by repeated alienations of the Park Lands and even occasional ridicule that comes our way, as we push back against ill-advised, ad hoc schemes to build over or sell off parts of our unique city garland.
However, in recent months many Park Lands supporters (not necessarily APPA members) have been making their voices heard, loud and clear.
Supporters of the Park Lands on the City Council now seem to be in the majority, with Councillors Philip Martin, Ann Moran, Sue Clearihan, Sandy Wilkinson, and Sandy Verschoor prepared to stand up against the vested property interests who see the old RAH site as a potential real estate gold mine;
APPA's social media following has grown enormously, Our Facebook page likes are now over 1,000, a ten-fold increase over the past two years. (See the graphs below.) This is allowing hundreds of people to see and appreciate, every day, a view of the Adelaide Park Lands (the "photo of the day") that they might not previously have seen. This means there is much more awareness of our unique heritage than ever before.
Greens leader Mark Parnell has asked a probing question in Parliament about the State Government's non-compliance with Park Lands law, when land is no longer required for any existing non-Park usage. (See the story below: "Contempt for Park Lands law".)
Mr Parnell has also put on record in Parliament the Greens opposition to handing over parts of Festival Plaza for a casino extension, office tower and shopping precinct. This proposed law change will go a vote in Parliament soon after 20 September. (See the 'Casino' story below.)
Distribution of this e-Gazette has swelled from just 200 at its commencement in May 2015, to over 1,200 with this edition.
Growth in APPA's petition signatures and growth in APPA's Facebook page likes.
YES IT'S PARK LANDS BUT WE DON'T CARE - WE'RE TAKING IT ANYWAY
The State Government is trying to fool you. The CEO of the Education Department says a proposed new Frome Road high school building is "confined totally within the site of the Reid Building" but the picture above is what those weasel words mean. The red marks show where a new seven-storey building is planned, on part of Tainmuntilla (Park 11). And they've left no room for car parking or other facilities, that are bound to impact further on Park Lands.
The Education Minister, Susan Close has refused to even acknowledge that this represents an attack on your Park Lands. Please write to the Minister to urge a re-think.
Here's a suggested email - just copy and paste it!
From you to: Minister.Close@sa.gov.au
Dear Minister
I write to express my deep concern that your Department is planning to construct a new seven-storey building and associated facilities on Tainmuntilla (Park 11), part of the Adelaide Park Lands.
Your Department is spreading misinformation that this proposal is "confined totally within the site of the Reid Building" when the reality is that the proposal would at least double the footprint of the existing Reid building, by building over adjacent landscaped lawns - part of the Adelaide Park Lands that are in the “care control and management” of the State Government.
The lack of any facilities for car parking or playing fields at this site has been highlighted by the Adelaide City Council, among others, as a serious long-term risk to inevitable further alienation of other Park Lands should these ill-considered plans proceed.
I urge you to intervene, and instruct your Department to find an alternative site for its proposed new city High School – somewhere that would not further alienate Adelaide's world-unique Park Lands.
Here's the evidence of their lie - the Department's plans to seize Park Lands to build what it proposes to call the "South Building" on the current landscaped lawns. This would add to the many cumulative losses that the State Government has inflicted on Adelaide's Park Lands in recent years.
RYMILL PARK REHAB BUDGET - A STATE SECRET
On 29 May APPA wrote to Transport Minister, Stephen Mullighan to find out how his Department planned to rehabilitate Rundle Park and Rymill Park after the O-Bahn trench is partly covered up sometime late next year.
Minister Mullighan's reply simply dodged the question. His letter gives no response at all to the crucial question of the rehabilitation budget.
Rymill Park on Tuesday 15 August. What will it cost to repair this damage and restore the Park? We don't know, and Minister Mullighan isn't saying.
LEGISLATION TO TAKE PARK LANDS FOR CASINO EXPANSION
There are at least 3,500 casinos throughout the world. But there is only one place in the world where a park surrounds a city.
What is more valuable? What do we value more in Adelaide?
Our State Parliament is about to vote (on 20 September or shortly thereafter) to take away some of the Adelaide Park Lands (Elder Park, Festival Plaza) to give to Sky City Casino and the Walker Corporation.
It's not called the "Stealing Park Lands law". They are sneaking it through with an innocuous-sounding name, the ASER (Restructure) (Facilitation of Riverbank Development) Amendment Bill 2016.
Please contact one or more of them and urge them to reject this Bill.
Please tell them NOT to allow the theft of our world-unique Park Lands just so that we can try to keep up with, or try to outdo some of the other 3,500 casinos with larger or more rooms for gambling.
Greens leader Mark Parnell made a great contribution in Parliament on 4 August when he urged his fellow MP's to reject this sellout of this most central part of the Park Lands. Here's a link to his full speech (it's worth reading in full!)
".....effectively what the government is saying is that the future direction of the Parklands should be a continuation of the past, with each generation alienating yet a little bit more. Every few years we privatise a little bit more. In my view, that is a recipe for the ultimate fragmentation and dismantling of the Parklands."
CONTEMPT FOR PARK LANDS LAW
We're not sure whether it's incompetence, contempt, apathy, indifference or maybe arrogance.
But the State Government is refusing to comply with the law that says it MUST describe how the old RAH site could be turned back into Park Lands.
But the Government has ignored its own competition winner and is proceeding to sell off the site to commercial interests - flagging likely commercial and 15-storey residential development there.
Their announced intention has sparked an outcry, including from 31 eminent South Australians, and the Adelaide City Council.
The supposed justification for wanting commercial and residential development on the site has been debunked. See the next story.
EAST END UPHEAVAL AFTER RAH MOVES WEST? IT'S BUNKUM
The supposed justification for selling off the old RAH site to commercial and privater interests is that the East End of the city would face economic decline unless we "revitalise" the precinct with an influx of new apartments and businesses.
As usual, when there is money to be made from exploiting a public resource (in this case the Park Lands) there will always be those who will twist the narrative to suit their intended stream of revenue.
Advocates for the public (like APPA) don't have quite the same access to power and influence.
THINGS TO DO IN THE PARK LANDS
There are so many places to explore and discover in the Adelaide Park Lands. Many Adelaideans don't realise how rich a resource we have on our doorstep. That's one of the reasons that we publish a Park Lands photo of the Day every day..
The Adelaide City Council also highlights some of the opportunities with a constantly-changing list of things to do
Whether you want to visit the Park Lands for children's playtime, a pleasant stroll or bike ride, vigorous exercise, a picnic, a barbecue, community gardening, wildlife spotting, some formal sport or informal recreation like throwing a frisbee around, there are hundreds of potential sites and things to do.
The City Council is inviting your feedback (until Tuesday 22nd August) on this proposal for a substantial new "community sports hub" on Narnungga (Park 25) opposite the new Royal Adelaide Hospital.
The SA Cricket Association (SACA) intends to commit $8 million to building this pavilion, and will pay the City Council rent of $12,000 per year (indexed) for 42 years..
APPA does not have a formal position on this development (yet) but we can see both positives and negatives.in the proposed deal:
The total footprint of buildings and car parking area on the Park Lands would be decreased, thanks to the demolition of two existing buildings. On the other hand, the floor space on the Park Lands would be increased, because the proposed new building is on three levels.
As part of the proposed arrangements, existing tennis courts would disappear but the plan is to replace them eventually with beach volleyball courts, subject to future Council funding.
SACA would be using the grounds in summer and the Old Ignatians Football Club in winter, with other sports (such as lacrosse) fitting in around the timetables of these two
SACA is not providing facilities for the public (only for those playing sport) but casual use of the four ovals will still be permitted when neither SACA nor Old Ingatians are using the grounds.
The Council will take steps (so they say!) to stop the car parking areas being used by city workers/commuters.
Find out more about the plans (and have your say, while you still can) at: http://yoursay.adelaidecitycouncil.com/community-sports-hub
PHOTOS OF THE DAY
Recent highlights
From the top:
Aerial shot of (at right) Victoria Park / Pakapakanthi (Park 16), along with Parks 17 to 21 (looking left) with the corner of South Tce and East Tce in the foreground)
Police greys, off duty in Bonython Park /Tulya Wardli (Park 27) near old Adelaide Gaol
Ant with part-missing right antenna, Warnpangga (Park 10) photo: Greg Coote
Adelaide High School football, Tampawardli (Park 24) off Glover Rd
Sunset in Tuthangga (Park 17) between Huitt Rd and Beaumont Rd
The Park Lands 'photo of the day' series has been running since May 2014, and the collection of Park Lands photos now numbers more than 800. We maintain (and gradually grow) 37 separate albums - one album for each one of the 30 Parks, the six squares (and one album for 'Alienations'). To browse the photos follow the link below to 'Our photos on Flickr'.
