Crafers residents fight Mount Lofty Botanic Garden carpark proposal

A carpark with 180 spaces is planned for Mount Lofty Botanic Gardens. But the people living nearby fear that paving over paradise will damage too much land.

A 180 new parking lot development at Crafers Botanic Garden has met heavy resistance from residents including Dodie Uniacke, John Uniacke, Sarah Bennett and Andrea Matulick. Picture: Tom Huntley

A plan for a major carpark to serve Mount Lofty Botanic Garden has come under scrutiny by Hills locals, who believe the project will spoil the landscape.

The 180-space carpark proposal in Crafers is being assessed by the state’s planning authority. It includes asphalting up to 10,000sq m of Crown Land near Lampert Road.

If approved, the carpark will become the largest of its kind to be built on “watershed” land in the Adelaide Hills. Development on such land is usually avoided to protect groundwater supplies.

Neighbours are seeking legal advice to determine if the carpark complies with planning rules.

Lampert Road resident Sarah Bennett said as well as the water issue, other concerns included the carpark being 300m from the entrance to the botanic garden, a lack of traffic and pedestrian safety and the harm to vegetation.

A satellite image of the proposed development site. Source: SAPPA

“We’re now all sending letters to the Minister for Environment and local planning, as well as Steven Marshall and elected members in our ward, as we want them to intervene,” Ms Bennett said.

Fellow Crafers residents Steve and Andrea Matulick are also questioning the validity of the proposal.

During a community consultation meeting last month, residents were told the carpark would serve as an “overflow” on peak visitor days

“It’s a totally inappropriate development in that (the land) was bequeathed to the Mount Lofty Botanic Garden for community use,” Ms Matulick said.

“But all they can seem to think of is to put a slab of bitumen down so that they can park 180 cars there on about 20 to 30 days a year when it gets busy.”

The entry and exit for the proposed carpark development is adjacent to one neighbour’s boundary with the carpark construction only metres from their fence line and home.

A spokeswoman for the Botanic Gardens and State Herbarium (BGSH) said the carpark would form part of the State Government’s $3m budget commitment to the Mount Lofty precinct.

She said construction was expected to start in August, with completion by autumn 2022.

“Various locations within the botanic garden were assessed for their suitability for more carparking. The parcel of land selected presented the most viable solution ... to cater for the significant rise in visitation,” she said.

“BGSH is working closely with traffic engineers and the Adelaide Hills Council to plan for safe movement of visitors between the carpark and the lower entrance of the garden.”

Options include traffic-calming initiatives, signage and lower speed limits.

The spokeswoman said the carpark would also be heavily planted and screened to complement the landscape.