Adelaide City Council gives CEO powers to sign off on land swap deal for Botanic High School expansion

A $98m Botanic High School expansion is a step closer after Adelaide councillors heard they had little choice but to take a land swap deal.

An artist impression of the Adelaide Botanic High School expansion. Picture: Supplied

A land swap agreement between the Adelaide City Council and state government to allow for the $98m Botanic High School expansion has been approved by elected members.

The government granted the council to hold a special meeting on Thursday night during the caretaker period to discuss the proposal and signing of required paperwork.

Elected members voted unanimously in favour for chief executive Clare Mockler to seek a ministerial exemption to sign a Memorandum of Understanding on the land swap.

The government wants a 1.8ha parcel of parklands on Frome Rd to allow for an eight-level extension of the school to accommodate an extra 700 students for the 2024 school year.

It will swap the land for the government-controlled Helen Mayo Park, on the River Torrens, which previously was slated for the former Liberal government’s $662m Riverbank Arena.

Councillors Anne Moran, Phil Martin and Keiran Snape walked out of the meeting before the final vote.

Councillor Alexander Hyde during an Adelaide City Council meeting. Picture: Brenton Edwards

Mr Martin believed the council should have consulted the community on the land swap agreement before a decision was made, while Ms Moran said the decision should be made by the next elected council.

Councillor Alex Hyde congratulated the council administration for successfully negotiating a return of parklands to the council’s control for the first time.

“If we don’t do this the state government, who is primarily interested in the education of children in this matter, will take the land from the council anyway,” Mr Hyde said.

The land swap agreement involves the council receiving a parcel of land of equal or greater area value.

Council documents showed the land swap would result in a 91m sq net gain for the council and future investment by the government into parklands.

The MoU also stated that if the land needed to be remediated, the cost would rest with the government, not the council.

An artist impression of the Adelaide Botanic High School expansion. Picture: Supplied

The council had agreed to the MoU in July and to allow Ms Mockler to sign the document.

However, the final paperwork was not delivered by the government to the council before the caretaker period started on September 6.

Education Minister Blair Boyer earlier in the week said he was under the impression that the chief executive could sign it regardless and was vocal in his disappointment.

He said the council had “gone weak at the knees” and “jeopardised” the Botanic High expansion because of the delay.

The council said it was required by legislation to obtain legal advice on whether the chief executive could make a “designated decision” to execute the MoU.

As a result, it must seek an exemption by the local government minister.