Unley Council spending millions to create more open space and tree canopy as development takes over

An Adelaide council is strategically buying up businesses and empty land to save giant gum trees and create more open space, as development kills greenery.

Unley Council has bought three properties including this one at 85 Mills St, Clarence Park, to save trees and save open space for the future.

Unley Council is spending millions on smaller properties to save trees and create more open space as continued development turns green into gravel.

It’s spent $7.65m on at least three properties over the past 12 months in a strategic aim to “shape the future” of the council area, Unley Mayor Michael Hewitson said

Property records show the council spent $2.7m on 2 Marion St, an empty 871 sqm piece of land to expand nearby Henry Codd Reserve in September last year, assisted by $1m from the Housing Department.

It also bought 21 King William Rd, next to the OTR, for $3.25m in June – a 1210 sqm property home to homewares shop Oscar and Willow. No decision has been made on the future of the site.

The property at 85 Mills St, Clarence Park. Picture:

It spent $1.7m on 85 Mills St – which is across two titles – at the corner of East Ave at Clarence Park in May.

The 1400 sqm property is home to a 1950s-built car workshop used by T&M Auto Repairs, opposite the Seaford railway line, and was bought in part to save three “significant” gum trees on the site, Mr Hewitson said.

“The plan is to own it, get the rent off of it, save the big trees that are on the block, and look for a long-term use – which probably isn’t going to be a car yard,” he said.

Council aims to eventually build a mixed-use development on Mills St to “shape and activate the precinct”. The tenant would be told of potential changes and community consultation undertaken.

The empty land at 2 Marion Street, Unley, which will become part of the nearby park.

21 King William Rd, Unley, was also bought by the council.

“It’s a strategic property for us in terms of location,” Mr Hewitson said. “For council to be involved in shaping the future, it pays for us to then own some of the land that makes the future.”

The council owns just 3 per cent of Unley’s open space and the purchases are part of a

long-term plan for create green areas as development rises. It has 25 per cent tree canopy – the state target is 31.

Achieving that could cut local temperatures by up to 10-12°C. But it says two trees are being chopped down for each one planted.

“Local government doesn’t control planning,” Mr Hewitson said. “The only way we really can is to own property in areas where new plans are likely to occur, right?

“There are three purposes (for these purchases) – so council can help shape the future of areas developed around the city, that council can have open space for the future population of Unley, and sometimes there’s some unique features such as trees that makes it worthwhile getting involved.”

He said Unley had the least amount of open space per person of any SA council and would run out of spots to plant new trees by 2028.

“We’ve got around 7 sqm per person (of open space) in the city of Unley … Prospect (Council) has around 12,” he said.