Adelaide Football Club chairman John Olsen hails Torrens to Darlington motorway design a win for Thebarton Oval headquarters

Adelaide Crows chairman John Olsen has hailed $15.4bn Torrens to Darlington motorway designs as a win, saying they help his club “arrive as a good neighbour” at the Thebarton headquarters.

Revised designs for the $15.4bn Torrens to Darlington motorway have been hailed by Adelaide Crows chairman John Olsen as a major boost in the AFL club’s quest to “arrive as a good neighbour” at proposed new $85m Thebarton Oval headquarters.

Updated North-South corridor designs, unveiled Wednesday, create community open space opposite the Oval precinct and confirm direct entry and exit access from an upgraded South Rd to ease traffic and parking issues.

In an interview with The Advertiser, Mr Olsen welcomed extra green space to the northeast of Kings Reserve, which he said would provide “some further options” to adopt suggestions from residents and other groups during an ongoing consultation process.

Adelaide Football Club chairman John Olsen (left) and CEO Tim Silvers. Picture: Mark Brake/Getty Images

Among these suggestions, following meetings in the past fortnight, was to keep some trees on Kings Reserve’s western boundary.

“The changes on South Rd create some options that we will now explore, which go to the feedback that we’ve had from local residents,” said Mr Olsen, a former Liberal premier.

“We will attempt to accommodate the wishes of the local community. We want to be seen as a good neighbour in the Thebarton precinct and we want to arrive as a good neighbour.”

Mr Olsen said the direct entry and exit access would minimise traffic congestion in local streets, which he argued would be “a very significant improvement” for nearby residents.

Revised designs for the $15.4bn Torrens to Darlington Project, showing the northern tunnel’s northern portal and new open space to the right. Picture: Supplied

This also would allow people attending Crows AFLW games at Thebarton Oval to park on Kings Reserve.

“The amount of parking that can be created on site with the South Rd access will reduce the impact of on-street parking for local residents, which they’ve experienced in the past,” Mr Olsen said.

A crowd of 9250 watched the Crows defeat Greater Western Sydney at Thebarton Oval in the club’s first AFLW game on February 4, 2017, creating nearby traffic congestion before and after the game.

West Torrens Council on November 8 voted to sign a formal agreement with the Adelaide Football Club to design a masterplan to redevelop Thebarton Oval as its new home.

The commitment followed an intensive residents’ campaign against the potential erosion of Kings Reserve access, which resulted in a 524-signature petition being tabled during the meeting.

Artist impression of the Adelaide Football Club’s proposed new base at Thebarton Oval. Picture: City Collective

Mr Olsen said the next steps would be creating a website through which people could post suggestions and communicate with the club, along with site inspections and information meetings with small groups.

“We want to counter the misinformation that’s in the marketplace at the moment and explain exactly what we’re doing, which I think will qualify some of the concerns of local residents,” he said.

A final master plan was expected to be presented to the council for consideration by the end of March, Mr Olsen said.