North Adelaide in row with Prince Alfred Old Collegians Football Club over ‘pub in Parklands’

THEY live in one of North Adelaide’s most prestigious streets — and they don’t want a top private school’s old boys’ club to get its multimillion-dollar sports upgrade, saying it will just be a “pub in the Parklands”.

RESIDENTS from one of North Adelaide’s most prestigious streets are locked in a battle with Prince Alfred College over a multimillion-dollar sports upgrade they claim will become a “pub in the Parklands”.

The Prince Alfred Old Collegians Football Club has lodged plans with Adelaide City Council to build new changerooms, toilets and a pavilion on Park 9, to replace ageing facilities.

If it went ahead, the building footprint would almost double in size.

Mackinnon Pde residents claim the proposal is too large and not in the right spot.

Councillor Sue Clearihan, who represents North Adelaide, said residents had contacted her to express their fears the new pavilion would become a pub in the Parklands if a liquor licence is granted.

“Some of the residents down there are calling it (the proposed pavilion) a gin palace while others are calling it the pub in the park,” she said.

Dr Ross Sweet, who has lived on Mackinnon Pde for 27 years, spoke to the council on behalf of several residents and said they held “grave concerns” about the size of the proposed buildings and the risk of intoxicated fans interacting with young families using the playground.

“It’s a very large building for a small park,” he said.

“And we are very worried that it will be just metres from the playground.”

Another Mackinnon Pde resident, who wished not to be named, said the public consultation was inadequate and residents only learned about the plans through the media.

The proposal for the upgraded sports facilities will be put out to public consultation in coming weeks, after councillors voted to proceed with the process last week.

The facilities would be paid for by the association but available for the public when not in use by one of the school’s sporting teams.

PAOC Football Club vice chairman Tim Hall said the views of residents would be taken into consideration as part of the consultation process.

He said the current facilities had a liquor licence and the new pavilion would be used for club-related functions only.

“There will be no one’s 21st birthday celebrations or weddings held down there,” he said.

“We’re not going to be running it like a nightclub.”

Several councillors voted to defer putting the project out for public consultation until after a council review into Parklands leases and licensing conditions was completed in about six weeks.

Councillor Phillip Martin, who represents North Adelaide, said the council did not have a transparent process for granting leases over the Parklands.

“The problem for Adelaide City Council is the policy (for granting leases over the Parklands) is outdated, favours those who already have existing arrangements and doesn’t allow others to get a look in,” he said.

Adelaide Parklands Preservation Association president Ian Gilfillan said he was concerned the new sports building would become “a privilege of a select group in the community”.

“Once established it then puts pressure for car parking and other facilities,” he said.

“And the community consultation (on the proposal) has been a farce.”