Morphett Vale residents plead with council to keep their green space

A southern council may sell public green space to developers, despite the majority of local residents saying the area should be kept as it is.

Keen local park enthusiasts are screaming out to retain their green space after a southern council put out feelers to sell the land.

The public park, located at 23 Highwray Drive in Morphett Vale, has been eyed off as a potential piece of land to unload by council in an attempt to provide housing in an already tight market.

“Community engagement is one consideration for elected members in the decision making process for land revocations, other considerations include the management of surplus land and

The portion of land and vacant building located at 23 Highwray Drive, Morphett Vale. Picture: Emily Jarvis

the need to ensure proposed divestments benefit the broader community by ensuring council resources are directed to where they’re most needed,” a council spokesman said.

“The decision also aligns with previous decisions of council which identified the former community building as surplus to requirements, and that the adjacent Wakefield Reserve provided appropriate open space for this district.”

The land area measures approximately 2000sq m and also contains a vacant former Morphett Vale kindergarten building.

The proposed land portion marked in red.

The land was originally donated to council by local Dorothy Ieleen Wakefield last century after subdividing the land into more than 400 residential allotments.

In 1975, a kindergarten was built with the help of the community who donated bricks.

While the building has sat derelict since 2018, local residents say more needs to be done to keep the land as a green space for the community and not look for ways to clear council debt.

“Demolish the kindergarten but leave the trees as they are and let that park be a part of the space next to it so residents can enjoy one big space,” local resident Dave Whan said.

“68 per cent of us (have said) that we don’t want to see this land developed throughout the consultation process, it’s a money grab.

“There is a regulated tree on the site, if council are so hell bent on using their tree canopy then they must keep these trees.”

Councillor Alayna de Graaf made a plea to her ward in a Facebook group ahead of trying to move a recession motion at un upcoming council meeting.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/knoxward/posts/765719031135240

“The councillors who voted against the people who came to speak also chose to ignore an overwhelming “early no process” which was a Your Say engagement and it showed 68 per cent of the residents didn’t want this outcome,” the post read.

“Are councillors hearing the residents?”

The results of consultation on the park will return to council in August.