Adelaide City Council accuses PlanSA of trying to rush through parklands changes without enough time for public consultation

Adelaide City Council is set to fight back against government planners trying to rush through big changes to riverbank zoning laws – see the details of what’s planned.

Planning changes that could allow widespread commercial development within the parklands are being rushed through without adequate consultation or investigation, Adelaide City Council says.

Elected members will hold a special meeting on Tuesday night to formalise their response to a concerted bid by government planners to introduce new sub-zones within the Riverbank Precinct along both sides of the River Torrens by the end of November.

They are expected to support a staff recommendation for Lord Mayor Sandy Verschoor to write to Premier Steven Marshall and federal Environment Minister Sussan Ley objecting to moves to allow parts of the parklands to be used for a multistorey hospital carpark, $662m entertainment arena, shops, kiosks, cafes and high-rise towers.

Under existing legislation controlling the parklands, most of the developments are not permitted or require council approval. If the “sub-zones” are introduced, council involvement would be minimal, apart from approving small-scale developments and leases.

A staff report has revealed the council last month sought a time extension to prepare its submission about the proposed changes, arguing a six-week consultation period set by PlanSA did not allow enough time for proper assessments by organisations such as the Adelaide Parklands Authority.

The state government wants to change planning zones to allow more commercial development in the parklands. Picture: Metric

The written request by chief executive Clare Mockler was refused by Attorney-General’s Department chief executive Caroline Mealor, who said she would “not be formally extending the consultation period”, which opened on September 15 and closes on Wednesday.

The report said the six-week time frame for feedback and the amount of information released for public feedback had breached state legislation for consultation about planning changes.

“(Six weeks) is inadequate, considering the statewide importance of the Adelaide parklands and the need to provide sufficient opportunity for people to first become aware of the changes,” said the report.

“Secondly, (it does not) afford sufficient time for professional experts and lay people alike to read, interpret and compose meaningful responses to the draft changes.

“In addition, insufficient documentation was provided publicly to enable meaningful feedback on the proposed Code Amendment.”

The state government has been criticised for giving the public only six weeks to comment on proposed zoning changes within the Riverbank Precinct

The report said this included “assessment tables” provided to the council after they were requested by planning staff “but have not been publicly provided on the Planning Portal (department website), nor have key stakeholders been notified of these changes”.

“The principle of equal and transparent access to information has not been adhered to,” said the report.

“In this Code Amendment process, the public have not had access to the assessment tables to understand what policies within the 4908-page Planning and Design Code will be used to assess the envisaged land uses within the area.”

The report said the lack of consultation particularly impacted on the Kaurna, who were the traditional owners of the parklands and had numerous important sites within the areas with proposed rezoning.

“The missed opportunity to genuinely engage with the City of Adelaide and Kaurna community, who have substantial knowledge and expertise of the areas, has meant that the context and significant importance of the land proposed to be rezoned has not been fully understood,” it said.

“The nature and extent of the community engagement undertaken is inadequate to enable genuine consideration and feedback to be provided by all affected stakeholders.”

The state government wants to build a $662m entertainment arena beside the River Torrens. Picture: Supplied

Councillors will be told the proposal to allow more buildings in the parklands breaches various pieces of legislation controlling development, including provisions under national heritage listing.

Staff are recommending they vote on Tuesday to allow the entertainment arena to be built on land near the Morphett St bridge provided there is “no net loss” of parklands, support the construction of the new Women’s and Children’s Hospital on North Tce but oppose any part of Kate Cocks Park, near the Adelaide Gaol, being used for a multistorey carpark, rule out any permanent structures on Pinky Flat and reject the development of green space between Botanic High School and Lot Fourteen on Frome Rd.

Elected members also will be asked to vote for Ms Verschoor to invite Planning Minister Vickie Chapman and representatives from the State Planning Commission and Attorney-General’s Department on a site visit of the parklands.

A state government spokesperson said 380 submissions had been received following briefing sessions with the council and information sessions for the public.

“While the council’s request to extend the public consultation timeframe was not supported, the department offered the council additional time to finalise its submission if required,” the spokesperson said.

MINISTER CONSULTS WITH KAURNA ELDER

Planning Minister Vickie Chapman has met with a Kaurna elder to discuss the protection of culturally significant sites within the Adelaide CBD.

Ms Chapman last week instructed her staff to contact the Kaurna Yerta Aboriginal Corporation after it emerged PlanSA had not met with senior representatives to discuss proposed zoning changes within the Riverbank Precinct.

Kaurna elder Jeffrey Newchurch told an Adelaide City Council reconciliation committee meeting there were numerous sites – including burial grounds – within several areas that would be made available for commercial development under the changes. They included an area on Frome Rd, between Botanic High School and Lot Fourteen, where skeletal remains were found in the 1990s.

Ms Chapman met with Mr Newchurch on Monday and said the burial ground and other important sites would be protected by regulations included in the proposed Riverbank changes.

“The state government holds the Kaurna people and their views in the highest regard and appreciates the importance of their connection to this land,” she said.

“We believe it is crucial they are included in the discussions about the proposed Riverbank Code Amendment, so I have personally reached out to Mr Newchurch to ensure his concerns and the Kaurna voices are heard.”

The proposed new innovation subzone for the Riverbank Precinct. Picture: PlanSA

Kaurna elder Jeffrey Newchurch outside the Adelaide Town Hall. Picture: Colin James

A state government spokeswoman said the Frome Rd site was part of the new Innovation Precinct proposed under the zoning changes.

“The proposed Code Amendment would update the concept plan over the ‘Innovation Precinct’, to ensure the green space next to Lot 14 is protected,” she said.

“It does this by mapping where development would be allowed and not allowed within the precinct, ensuring that the important green space link between Frome Road and the Botanic Gardens is retained.”

The spokeswoman said concept plans “sit within the new Planning and Design Code and are used to assess proposed developments”.

“This means, if someone proposes to build in an area mapped for ‘no development’, the application would be rejected,” she said.