Adelaide City Council votes to formally oppose SA Police parklands horse base plans

Adelaide City Council has thrown its weight behind the Lord Mayor’s bold call on SA Police plans to house their horses on the parklands.

Adelaide City councillors have unanimously backed Lord Mayor Jane-Lomax Smith in opposing the SA Police proposal to relocate its mounted operations unit to the south parklands.

But despite the council formally voting on Tuesday night to oppose the move, it has conceded it is powerless to stop the state government approving it.

“The state government passed the New Women’s and Children’s Hospital Act 2022, which gives them broad ranging powers and authority to bypass council, acquire land for the mounted police unit, forego formal assessment normally required through the Planning, Development and Infrastructure Act 2016 and a range of other powers,” Dr Lomax-Smith told The Advertiser.

“Council opposes building, 40 stables, high security fencing, training facilities, accommodation for 30 staff, as well as storage facilities for tack, fodder and equipment on the parklands.

“However we have offered to speak with SA Police and state government to try and find a temporary location to agist the horses while a more suitable permanent location can be found.”

Dr Lomax-Smith said the Keswick Barracks, which the state government will take control of in a land swap with the Commonwealth allowing the expansion of the Osborne shipyard, “seems to meet the SAPOL brief, has existing buildings that may save costs and time in construction and has close proximity to the city”.

Lord Mayor of Adelaide, Jane Lomax-Smith. Picture: David Mariuz

At the meeting, councillors expressed their disappointment at the lack of consultation on the issue.

“It is one that could be relocated outside of the parklands, not land grabbed from the people of South Australia,” north ward councillor Phillip Martin said.

Dr Lomax-Smith suggested the Adelaide Showgrounds and the current WCH site as long-term alternatives.

Under the New Women’s and Children’s Hospital Act, the final decision will sit with Health Minister Chris Picton. The Act allows Mr Picton to vest an area of the parklands to Police Minister Joe Szakacs.

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Adelaide City Council will continue to allow private horses to be kept on the northern parklands, despite its opposition to SA Police moving its mounted operations to the south parklands.

Dr Lomax-Smith has been a vehement critic of the police proposal, which has state government support, since it was revealed by the Sunday Mail.

The move, made necessary by the mounted unit’s current site being needed for the new Women’s and Children’s Hospital build, would see police take over 8ha of land off Sir Lewis Cohen Ave.

Dr Lomax-Smith has repeatedly accused the government of making land grabs on the green belt.

But the council has no plans to stop charging private citizens $45.50 a week, or more than $2300 a year, to keep their horses in LeFevre Park opposite North Adelaide. That service is available only to horse owners who live within 2km of the site.

The proposed site for the new location of the police mounted operations unit. Picture: Dean Martin

Asked if the council’s positions were contradictory, Dr Lomax-Smith said she did not have an issue with horses in the parklands per se, but with the large amount of infrastructure that would accompany the police greys in their move to the south parklands.

“We’re not talking about horses being in the parklands … we’re talking about a massive building with high security fence; we’re talking about a building which will be, frankly, industrial strength stables, office facility and storage facility,” she said.

“There’s no reason why in fact, the stables, the offices and the storage could not be in any of the near suburbs or even in the CBD … and then horses walked across.”

A state government spokesman on Monday said the police project would bring benefits to the community, and the possibility of returning other land to the parklands.

Tiffany Kalderovskis with one of the police greys at the current site behind the Thebarton Police Barracks. Picture: Dean Martin

Police Commissioner Grant Stevens had advised the government the parcel of land – on the corner of Greenhill Rd and Sir Lewis Cohen Ave – was selected after an exhaustive evaluation process. Under the New Women’s and Children’s Hospital Act, the final decision will sit with Health Minister Chris Picton. The Act allows Mr Picton to vest an area of the parklands to Police Minister Joe Szakacs.

Mr Szakacs would then be able to develop the area designated only for the purposes of the mounted operations unit.

Adelaide Park Lands Association president Shane Sody has appealed to federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek to intervene.

Mr Sody said there was a “pattern emerging” in the state government’s willingness to build on the parklands, citing the planned new hospital and aquatic centre and the Botanic High expansion. He said because the parklands are on the National Heritage List, the federal government had intervention powers.

“If there ever was an opportunity or a need to protect and restore a national heritage place that’s under threat, it’s now,” he said.

A federal Environment Department spokesperson said the issue had not been referred to them and “the matter currently sits entirely with the (state) government”.