"NATURE IS SENDING US A MESSAGE" |
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The world-wide fight to protect humanity from COVID-19 should also be a wake-up call to step up protection for Adelaide's most valuable resource. The United Nations' environment chief, Inger Andersen (pictured above) said humanity was placing too many pressures on the natural world with damaging consequences, and warned that failing to take care of the planet meant not taking care of ourselves. Ms Andersen said the immediate priority was to protect people from the coronavirus and prevent its spread. “But our long-term response must tackle habitat and biodiversity loss,” she added. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/25/coronavirus-nature-is-sending-us-a-message-says-un-environment-chief In Adelaide there are always multiple threats to extinguish habitat and bidoversity in the Park Lands in favour of commercial interests or chasing the ephemeral goal of "activating the space". We catalogue these ever-shifting threats on our social media feeds and on our website: www.adelaide-parklands.asn.au/current-issues |
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In recent weeks, some high-profile threats have receded, as you can see in the following newsletter articles. However all these threats, and more, remain on the horizon. |
FOI DOCUMENTS REVEAL COUNCIL-CROWS DEALINGS |
Documents unearthed in a Freedom of Information request reveal the extent of behind-the-scenes manoeuvering by City Council executives to assist the Adelaide Crows in their ill-fated bid to locate their corporate headquarters on the Adelaide Park Lands. |
On 3 April 2020, the Adelaide Football Club officially withdrew its bid to locate its commercial headquarters in Denise Norton Park / Pardipardinyilla (Park 2). APPA has welcomed this move and has encouraged the Adelaide Football Club to join the ongoing community effort to keep the world-unique Adelaide Park Lands green, open and public for many years to come. The AFC's decision was forced by a collapse in revenue due to the impact of coronavirus restrictions on AFL operations. However, the prospect of a similar AFL Park Lands takeover, sometime in the future, still remains. We note that the AFC's statement says the bid has been "withdrawn" but its heading says it's merely been "put on hold". |
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City Council documents reveal the extent to which City Council executives co-operated to facilitate the Crows "unsolicited proposal" behind closed doors, without any public involvement. |
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| The documents were released to Professor Andrew Stock (pictured) who asked for “Documents (handwritten, typed, notes, emails, briefings, agendas, diary entries, memos) between 1 April 2016 and 20 Feb 2020 relating to meetings, telephone calls, conference calls between Adelaide City Council (ACC) representatives (CEO, council officers and other employees, councillors, mayor) and the Adelaide Football Club and/or the Australian Football League relating to its proposed move in the ACC area, including the proposed redevelopment of the Adelaide Aquatic Centre.” |
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Not all documents were released to him. Four were withheld. The 16 documents released reveal that: - the Adelaide Football Club swung into action immediately after the election of Lord Mayor Sandy Verschoor, in late 2018, seeking and obtaining a meeting with the Lord Mayor and CEO on 7 December 2018. This was well before the Council received the AFC's so-called "Unsolicited Proposal" in February 2019.
- in April and May 2019, the AFC and City Council executives held at least three separate private meetings. The AFC brought a lawyer to at least the first of these meetings.
- The Council's so-called "Guiding Principles" to facilitate the Crows bid were provided in draft form to the Crows CEO Andrew Fagan in May 2019 before being adopted by the Council in June 2019.
None of the correspondence between the Council and the AFC identifies any role for the Park Lands Authority, nor is there any recognition or acknowledgement of the public interest or the legislative requirements for dealing with Park Lands. If the Crows bid had not been withdrawn, this collection of material would have been relevant to any legal challenge, as it suggests the Council's process was undertaken in disregard of the legal Park Lands Management Strategy and the Council's Community Land Management Plan. |
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Your views explicitly omitted In the agenda for the Council meeting of Tuesday 14 April, the City Council published the results of its consultation on the Adelaide Football Club's draft proposal to take over Denise Norton Park / Pardipardinyilla (Park 2). An administration report to the Council explicitly LEFT OUT 746 responses from Park Lands supporters (475 leaflets and 271 direct emails) because they "may have been influenced" by APPA in a "biased" way. |
The Council's entire consultation was flawed and biased with questions clearly designed to elicit a favourable response to the Crows . It is outrageous that this graph published by the City Council explicitly omits 746 people who gave the Council a very clear message about NOT having a corporate office block on the Park Lands. The same Council meeting, on Tuesday 14 April rejected a motion by Cr Robert Simms to prevent any future commercial "unsolicited proposals" for Park Lands sites. |
OTHER THREATS POSTPONED, NOT SHELVED |
On 26 March, The Advertiser reported ($ subscriber only) that rival plans for two (alternative) multipurpose, roofed stadia - either in Park 26 or in Park 27 had been shelved indefinitely.
The cost of up to $1.3 billion was said to make either proposal impossible to fund in the foreseeable future because of the huge State Government deficit that will be left after the coronavirus pandemic.
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On the other hand, recent reporting by InDaily suggests a new concert hall for Adelaide could still be on the cards, despite the coronavirus.
https://indaily.com.au/arts-and-culture/2020/03/31/planning-begins-for-new-adelaide-concert-hall/
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No site has been endorsed for the proposed new Concert Hall, although media reporting so far has focussed only on (various) potential Park Lands locations. APPA will be encouraging the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra to gather community support for one or more potential sites within the CBD, rather than on Park Lands. |
ART PRIZE DELAYED UNTIL DECEMBER |
Like so many other events, the Adelaide Park Lands Art Prize has been regretfully postponed, due to the coronavirus pandemic. The opening night, which had been scheduled for Wednesday 1 April, has now been re-booked for the Festival Centre on Thursday 3 December 2020, with the exhibition of finalists to run from 4 December until 30 January 2021. The postponement was a blow to all involved, especially the 74 artists whose 77 works had been selected as finalists. Due to these extraordinary circumstances, most finalists’ artworks are now available to purchase. You can browse all the works and buy them from https://www.parklandsart.com/category/artwork_feature/ The artworks are available for sale online now, before the exhibition, so that you can support artists and purchase now to secure artworks for yourself. The works themselves will not be available to collect until the close of the Finalists’ Exhibition at the end of January 2021. |
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From top left: These and 73 others are available for purchase at https://www.parklandsart.com/category/artwork_feature/ |
VIDEO OF THE MONTH - PARK 24 |
This month's video looks at one of the western parts of the Park Lands - best known as the site of the Adelaide High School. If you're stuck at home due to the coronavirus, it might be an opportunity to catch up with the other videos in this series (Parks 1 through to 23) at our YouTube channel. Next month: Gladys Elphick Park / Narnungga (Park 25). |
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MORE TAXPAYER HANDOUTS FOR OVAL HOTEL |
Despite getting a taxpayer-guaranteed loan of $42 million to construct a private hotel in Tarntanya Wama (Park 26) the Stadium Management Authority is already in financial trouble with its unfinished Adelaide Oval Hotel. Before the coronoavirus pandemic hit, the hotel was expected to open in September this year, with marketing emphasising the Hotel's place inside the National Heritage-listed Park Lands. Apart from the hotel's effect on the Park Lands, it is also an ongoing burden on taxpayers, who have exposure to its risky $42 million Government loan. On 1 April, State Treasurer Rob Lucas announced $4.5 million in further benefits to the Authority to allow its Park Lands hotel to be completed. |
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The new State Government gifts are: - Waiving a scheduled $3 million payment to the Adelaide Oval sinking fund
- Payment of $1 million to cover a sub-lease fee that the SMA cannot afford to make; and
- Deferring interest payable on the Adelaide Oval Hotel loan for six months (value $530,000) to be capitalised and amortised over the remaining life of the loan.
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WHAT'S ON IN THE PARK LANDS |
It wlll come as no surprise to learn that our list of "What's On In the Park Lands" this month is threadbare. As far as we are aware, all previously-scheduled events, including our own Guided Walks, have been cancelled or postponed. However you can still take your own, self-guided walk through parts of the Adelaide Park Lands. Walking through your Park Lands is still OK, just not in a group! For the past few years, APPA has partnered with the National Trust to offer self-guided walks using the "Adelaide City Explorer" app or website. These self-guided walks offer both written descriptions and audio narration, with a selection of photos to illustrate the past and present uses of each stop on the walk. These are the Guided Walks available: |
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BRIEFLY, IN OTHER PARK LANDS NEWS |
Britannia 2050 - linking suburbs to Parks In last month's newsletter, we focussed on a push to create a globally unique "Park Lands Circuit" including the construction of bridges or tunnels to link all Adelaide's Park Lands for the benefit of pedestrians, runners and cyclists. This month, we are intrigued by a proposal put forward by Adelaide's JPE Design Studio, which re-imagines the car-focussed Britannia roundabout. JPE is asking us how much better this part of Adelaide could be if foot traffic was encouraged between Parks 15 and 16 and the eastern suburbs. |
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Central Ward supplementary election
The balance of power on the Adelaide City Council could shift after the election of a new Councillor. There is a Council vacancy in Central Ward caused by the resignation earlier this year of former Deputy Lord Mayor Houssam Abiad. Eight candidates are vying to fill the single vacancy. APPA has written to each of the eight candidates asking about their attitudes to the Park Lands. We will post results on our website and Facebook page from 22 April, to coincide with the start of postal voting. |
Central Ward includes the central business district. Compared to the northern and southern wards, the proportion of residential properties is smaller. Postal voting concludes on 11 May and we will include the result of the election in our May newsletter. |
Temporary hospital car park on Park 25 The City Council has authorised a new, temporary car park on Oval #1, off Port Road, in Gladys Elphick Park / Narnungga (Park 25) opposite the Royal Adelaide Hospital (see the pic below.) The approval is by agreement with the SA Cricket Association which has licenced the use of Ovals within Park 25. When the COVOID-19 crisis is over, any damage to the oval must be remediated jointly by the RAH and SACA. The approval is to be for "a finite time" but the Council has not set a specific end date. |
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Digging a trench in Park 6 You will soon see a trench being dug in Lefevre Park / Nantu Wama (Park 6). SA Power Networks will be installing new underground high voltage cable along part of Lefevre Terrace, to improve the reliability of power supply. A combination of boring and trenching will be used on the eastern side of the road within Lefevre Park between Archer Street and Brougham Place, as per the diagram below. SA Power Networks advises that the work will protect vegetation and avoid disturbance to the existing footpath. |
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Work will mostly be carried out Monday to Friday between 8am to 5pm, however some night works may be required. It is expected that the work will be completed by the end of May. |
Landscaping upgrade - Prospect Rd Work has begun to plant trees, install new shared-use pathways, lighting and facilities in the two Parks that border Prospect Rd; namely Denise Norton Park / Pardinpardinyilla (Park 2) and Yam Daisy Park / Kantarilla (Park 3). |
The City Council consulted on this project during 2019. See: https://yoursay.cityofadelaide.com.au/park2-landscape-upgrade |
Park Lands Dry Zone - discrimination, or what? In our newsletter of February 2020, we drew attention to the City Council's attempts to declare a 24 hour a day, seven-day-a-week "dry zone" across the entirety of the Adelaide Park Lands. The issue has been taken up again, in the Adelaide Review, with this opinion piece by Ash Whitefly: "Park Lands Dry Zone brews discrimination." |
Archery Club extension approved After a three-week consultation period earlier this year, the City Council has now approved a new 15-year lease for the Adelaide Archery Club in Bullrush Park / Warnpangga (Park 10). |
The approval also allows the Archery Club to construct a small extension to the Club's building, as per the diagram below. |
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Annual General Meeting - now a virtual meeting Due to coronavirus restrictions, our Annual General Meeting (on 26 April) will be conducted on-line, using Zoom.
Only APPA members will receive a link to join the Zoom meeting. If you are not an APPA member, please join us before the AGM to help steer APPA into the next financial year (see the next item below). |
The AGM will receive reports from the President, Treasurer, and Art Prize convenor. The managing Committee will be elected for 2020-21. The guest speaker has been confirmed as former Lord Mayor and former Member for Adelaide, Jane Lomax Smith. |
Join us!
You can be a proud Park Lands supporter, with membership starting at only $7.50 (for concession and student membership) expiring 30 June. Longer-term memberships are also available.
We rely almost exclusively on annual membership fees to continue our Park Lands advocacy, so if you haven't already, please consider putting your money where your mouth is and backing APPA to keep up the Park Lands fight.
As a financial member of APPA, you receive: Those who've already paid their 2019-20 membership have already received one of these printable certificates. |
PHOTO OF THE DAY - RECENT HIGHLIGHTS |
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From the top: - Sitting in Possum Park / Pirltawardli (Park 1) off Mills Tce
- Jogging through Bullrush Park / Warnpangga (Park 10) off MacKinnon Pde
- Walking through the urban forest in the southern part of Victoria Park / Pakapakanthi (Park 16)
- Red hot poker flowers and River Red Gum in Pennington Gardens West, part of Tarntanya Wama (Park 26)
- One of the horses agisted in Lefevre Park / Nantu Wama (Park 6)
The Park Lands "photo of the day" series has been running since May 2014, and the collection of Park Lands photos gathered over almost six years now numbers over 2,000. We maintain (and gradually grow) more than 40 separate albums: one for each numbered Park and Square, along with several albums for "Alienations". Contributions are very welcome! To find out more about any of these featured Parks, click the link to the Park number. To see the #AdelaideParklands Photo Of The Day as it's released each morning, just follow us on Facebook, Instagram &/or Twitter. |
Despite being a National Heritage-listed place, the Adelaide Park Lands are not well protected by Federal environmental laws.
That's why we've joined the Places You Love Alliance, to campaign along with 56 other organisations for better environmental protection laws. |
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NEWSLETTER TEAM
Editor: Shane Sody
Contributors: Ted Jennings
Proofreader: Trish Russell
Send content enquiries/submissions to secretary@adelaide-parklands.asn.au
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Here at APPA, we hate marketing (spam) emails. That's why we deliver news about the Park Lands, in this email format, only once per month. If you're after more regular information, please follow us on Facebook where we are posting every day. Unlike marketing emails, we're not trying to sell you anything, so we hope you'll forgive this intrusion to your InBox. Nevertheless, if you'd rather not hear from us in future, please just unsubscribe here. |
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