Belair soccer club plan ruled out on former national park golf course land

Plans to replace the Belair golf course with soccer fields will not be allowed to go ahead, the environment minister has declared.

A contentious plan to build soccer fields on Belair’s former golf course has been ruled out by Environment Minister David Speirs.

Sturt Lions Football Club wanted to build the equivalent of four full-sized pitches on the defunct golf course at Belair National Park, but its proposal had been met by staunch community opposition.

Mr Speirs has told parliament he would not allow the project.

“I’m now clearly ruling out that going forward to the next stage,” he said.

“It’s not appropriate for the site and, and I don’t believe it was going to be financially viable, either.”

Mr Speirs said he had maintained that he would not support any change on the site requiring a large numbers of trees to be axed.

Belair National Park Action Group members were concerned about the future of their park. They include Sands Butterworth with son Wilson, 6, Danielle Blanchette with daughter Olive, 4, and sons Sid, 13 and Beau, 11, and Kym Evans and partner Leanne Hurley, and sons Jayden, 2 and Nathan, 4. Picture: Naomi Jellicoe

An arborist report released on Sunday by Conservation SA showed hundreds of trees – many more than a century old – would be felled to make way for soccer fields and a club house.

Conservation SA Chief Executive Craig Wilkins “strongly” welcomed the announcement.

“This is a positive decision that recognises that cutting down ancient trees in a national park is just not acceptable,” he said.

“The community voice is loud and clear: national parks are first and foremost a place for nature. It’s great the Minister Speirs has listened to that feedback.

“We urge the Government and the local Council to now work with the Sturt Lions Soccer Club to find them a decent home.”

One of the founding members of the Belair National Park Action Group, Tom Fowles of Hawthorndene was stunned.

“Disbelief, I think would be the first feeling that comes to mind,” he said.

“But yeah, incredibly proud and pleased obviously that our efforts and those efforts of the South Australia’s strong community have been heard.”

He said the group would be waiting to hear more formally regarding the outcomes of the public consultation process, including the draft amendments to the management plan.

Established in 1891, Belair is the state’s oldest national park and is a much-loved recreation base for residents across the Hills.

More than 7600 people signed a petition opposing plans for the soccer pitches, proposed as part of a master plan to give new life to the park’s former golf course.

New mountain bike trails are also planned, along with disc golf.

Environment Minister David Speirs. Picture: Roy VanDerVegt.

Sturt Lions Football Club said its proposal would have allowed hundreds of juniors to play on the same site, and club members could fundraise through food and drink sales.

But the petition, and signs adorning Upper Sturt Rd properties calling for their park to be saved, demonstrated the level of community opposition.

Locals had raised worries about the effects of traffic, noise and light pollution on animals and nearby homes.

Mr Speirs said public consultation on its master plan for the former golf course land received 2740 responses.

He said the State Government had been unable to find anyone to take on the former country club building, and the 50 or so hectares of the former golf course.

Mr Speirs said he also wanted to maintain a “buffer zone” on the site, which was seen by locals as a “very important firebreak between the park and residents”.

“We wouldn’t want to create a situation where that was extensively revegetated largely because I’ve received a significant amount of feedback from local residents who feared that might occur,” he said.

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