Neighbours complain as Pembroke School’s major redevelopment kept ‘secret’

NEIGHBOURS of a prestigious school in Adelaide’s east have accused the school of leaving them in the dark over plans for a major redevelopment of its campuses. WATCH THE VIDEO

Pembroke School's plans for Haslam Oval on The Parade, Kensington Park.

NEIGHBOURS of a prestigious school in Adelaide’s east have accused the school of leaving them in the dark over plans for a major redevelopment of its campuses.

Pembroke School developed plans for the revamp in August last year but they only became public last week after a resident circulated them to neighbours.

They show a 1700-seat theatre, two boarding houses, indoor pool, hockey pitch and multi-storey classrooms on Haslam Oval, a redeveloped Kensington Community Leisure Centre with basketball courts, a pool and a gym on the Kensington Park RSL site on the southern side of The Parade and a new science and technology centre on King’s Campus.

While the school would lose part of Haslam Oval to the development, the plans included the demolition of all but one house on the western side of Dunstan Ave with the land to be returned to open space.

The 50-year uncosted plans, described by the school as “aspirational”, also include a redevelopment of the Kensington Community Leisure Centre and a Pulteney-style footbridge over The Parade linking the two campuses. Those parts of the plan were made public last year.

Dunstan Ave resident Peter Jennings, whose home is the only one on the western side of the street not to have been bought by Pembroke, said he was “really surprised at how almost secret” the school had been about its plans

“Anything that would perhaps open that up would be a good thing,” Mr Jenkins said.

He said there seemed to be a “lack of transparency and openness” about the school’s growth plans.

Another resident, who would not be named, said the plans would cause traffic and parking issues around the oval.

“It’s too big for our residential area and I believe most of the councillors think the same,” the resident said.

“We’re going to have to put up with this because they want a really big school.”

Neighbours of the school packed Burnside Council’s public gallery last week to hear debate on a new policy that would have allowed the school to privately fund a development plan to allow for the rezoning of its campuses.

A privately funded plan would require less consultation than a regular zoning change because all of the land belonged to the school.

Gurrs Rd resident and town planner Greg Vincent said privately funded development plans “circumvent community engagement”.

“It’s good policy to ensure they follow their community engagement policy guidelines,” Mr Vincent said.

Burnside knocked back the request.

In a statement, Pembroke principal Luke Thomson said the school had “long-standing concerns about inconsistencies in our zoning”.

He refused to comment on the redevelopment plans.

“This document has only been available to the school community at this point and will be made more publicly available if and when we move into an actual planning stage,” another statement said.

In September last year, when plans for the footbridge, a performing arts centre and leisure centre upgrade first became public, Mr Thomson said the plan represented the school’s long-term vision “based on the current and anticipated needs of the school”.

Pembroke has more than 1500 students.