Adelaide Crows’ Aquatic Centre plans face more community backlash
Astronaut Andy Thomas has hit out at the Adelaide Crows hierarchy following a fiery public forum about the club’s proposed Aquatic Centre development.
SA Business
Don't miss out on the headlines from SA Business. Followed categories will be added to My News.
- Crows release plans to build new HQ at Aquatic Centre site
- Penbo: Here’s what I’d have said if you invited me
- Subscriber competition: Win Adelaide Oval VIP memberships
Close to 200 concerned residents packed into a community forum in North Adelaide this afternoon, for an at times fiery discussion about the Crows’ proposed redevelopment of the Aquatic Centre site.
Architect David Cooke, from City Collective, presented the football club’s draft plans, which include returning 6000sqm of land to public parklands and reducing the maximum building height by 5 metres.
However, few in attendance were won over, with several residents walking out of the forum early, and others venting their anger during a lively 45 minute Q&A session.
The forum was hosted by federal Adelaide MP Steve Georganas and local state MP Rachel Sanderson. Lord Mayor Sandy Verschoor addressed the gathering, while several other councillors were also in attendance including Anne Moran, Alexander Hyde, Franz Knoll, Phillip Martin and Arman Abrahimzadeh.
Mr Cooke told attendees the Crows’ plans were a “once in a generation opportunity” to breathe new life into the 50-year old facility.
“The current Adelaide Aquatic Centre is an ageing facility, potentially at the end of its life-cycle - it has become a burden financially and has not delivered the quality level of amenity expected by the community,” he said.
“The opportunity for the Adelaide Football Club and the City of Adelaide to come together to ... deliver a new, modern sports and community centre that increases public amenity to the North Adelaide community and the broader City of Adelaide ratepayers is truly a once in a generation opportunity.”
Mr Cooke was jeered throughout his presentation.
The Crows’ $65 million development proposal includes an eight-lane, 50m pool, a children’s pool and splash area and an unfenced oval, where the Crows would train.
The new facility would house the club’s administrative headquarters, and a community centre and pool for public use.
Astronaut Andy Thomas, who owns properties in North Adelaide, was amongst the crowd. He was critical of the Crows hierarchy for not fronting up at today’s event.
“I think it’s really important that if this plan does go ahead that it not be an economic burden placed on the ratepayers to bring a corporate entity in,” he told The Advertiser after the meeting.
“I would like an assurance that the Adelaide Football Club is paying a lease rate that is comparable to the commercial rates that any other corporate entity in O’Connell St pays.
“The no Crow representation at this meeting, or the meeting last Wednesday night, is actually pretty atrocious - if they’ve got a vested interest in this they should work with the local community and be honest and open.”
Former federal Labor senator and current Crows member Chris Schacht chaired this afternoon’s forum. He received the biggest cheers from the crowd after going off-script and hitting out at the AFL’s handling of the Crows’ proposal.
“The fact is all the 50,000 members of the Adelaide Crows are not members - you are nothing more than ticket buyers,” he said.
“The Adelaide Crows is 100 per cent owned, as is Port Adelaide, by the AFL Commission in Melbourne, which has a majority of non-South Australians on that commission.
“Last year they had an income of $800 million from television rights. They have the money - if they want to build something somewhere they should put their money where their mouth is.”
North Adelaide resident Tess Crotti opposed the Crows’ proposal, suggesting the council independently fund an Aquatic Centre upgrade.
“The council is responsible for the protection of the parklands and for providing community facilities like the Aquatic Centre - they should be doing both those things and not relying on large corporate organisations to protect the parklands, which they’re not,” she said.
The Crows are seeking to establish their corporate headquarters on a section of parklands named after Denise Norton-Wangel - the first South Australian woman to compete at an Olympic Games.
She attended this afternoon’s forum with daughter Ingrid Wangel. Ms Wangel was confident the council would reject the Crows’ plans.
“There should not be commercial administrative buildings on public parklands,” she said.
“I think the council today has seen how strong the opposition to this commercialisation of the parklands is and I think they will now consider other options.”
Consultation on the Crows’ development plans closes on March 11.