Parklands plan ditched as new sites chosen for police horses
The state government has scrapped plans to build a new home for police horses in the parklands, instead announcing a shock new site west of the CBD with a second spot in the city.
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The state government has scrapped plans to house the police horses on the south parklands, with a new site at Adelaide Airport chosen.
Police will also be given a vacant block of land behind the Supreme Court to use as a staging area after transporting the horses into the city from West Beach under the new plan.
The development follows months of outcry by interest groups – and Lord Mayor Jane Lomax-Smith – at the decision to shift the Mounted Operations Unit to the south parklands.
In March The Advertiser revealed the 8ha parcel of land – on the corner of Greenhill Rd and Sir Lewis Cohen Ave – had been selected as the preferred site by police after an exhaustive evaluation process to make way for the new Women’s and Children’s Hospital.
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Since then opponents of the plan have waged an unrelenting campaign to stop it – culminating in a protest last Sunday that saw hundreds of protesters converge on the site.
The Advertiser can reveal over the past month Treasurer Stephen Mullighan has examined the mounted operations of several other policing jurisdictions – including visits to their facilities – as the search for alternative sites continued.
Mr Malinauskas said the government had “worked hard’’ to identify suitable alternative options to the south parklands site.
“We’ve worked hard to find a solution that considers the strategic needs of SAPOL and the interests of the broader public,’’ he said.
“I thank the Police Commissioner and SAPOL officers for their efforts in reaching this outcome.
“We look forward to working through the detailed design and site work to make this new home at the Adelaide Airport a reality.
“My government has always sought to preserve Adelaide parklands, and wherever possible make them more accessible.
“That’s exactly what we’re delivering with the new Women’s and Children’s Hospital, which will unlock unused and dilapidated areas near the Adelaide Gaol.’’
Mr Malinauskas said the government had reached agreed commercial terms with Adelaide Airport Limited to finalise both an interim and permanent home for the Mounted Operations Unit.
Negotiations with AAL have identified two suitable sites on airport land and both sites will now be subject to detailed site investigation, design work and due diligence and finalisation of terms.
He said portion of government-owned land at Gepps Cross has also been identified, should an alternative option be required, which will be progressed concurrently to the AAL options.
The decision to provide the staging post was a key element to the new plan and provided SAPOL the flexibility needed to move the Mounted Operations Unit further than 5km from the CBD.
Police Commissioner Grant Stevens welcomed the fact a decision had finally been made and planning for the move could proceed.
“We appreciate there are factors in this that extend beyond the operational requirements we have,’’ he said.
“We will now move forward with the enormous amount of work needed to enable us to leave the Thebarton barracks.’’
He said while the parklands site had been SAPOL’s preferred option, he would ensure the new arrangements maintained the service provided by the mounted division.
Lord Mayor Jane Lomax-Smith, a ferocious opponent of the parklands option, welcomed the development.
“I congratulate the South Australian Government for maintaining its commitment to protect the irreplaceable and unique Adelaide parklands,’’ she said.
“The Premier has proven he will listen to the community and show strong leadership make the right decision.
“I would like to thank the member for Adelaide Lucy Hood for her unwavering advocacy and support for the parklands during this process.’’
Ms Hood said the move was “a fantastic outcome for our community.’’
“Over the past couple of months I have held forums and street corner meetings, listened to stakeholders and met regularly with relevant ministers to ensure our community’s voice was heard,’’ she said.
“I congratulate the Premier and the Commissioner for listening and for working so diligently to secure a win-win.’’
The 20,000sq/m Thebarton police barracks site was chosen for the location of the new $3.2bn Women’s and Children’s Hospital following a review of six sites by former government bureaucrat Jim Hallion.
The government previously intended to build the new WCH on the railyards adjacent the Royal Adelaide Hospital but that location was deemed to be too small and would have dislocated many vital health services.
It is anticipated site works will begin by the end of the year with the opening pencilled in for 2030-31.
Legislation to fast-track the demolition of the Thebarton police barracks, which was constructed on vacant parklands in 1917, passed the lower house last November after 10 hours of debate.
It was approved in the upper house after the government secured the support of One Nation and SA Best to block numerous amendments.
The legislation allows planning approvals to be expedited that will result in numerous heritage listed buildings demolished – a move that has sparked outrage from both heritage groups and those opposed to building on the parklands.
It was anticipated each of the 14 business units housed at the Thebarton police barracks – including the mounted operations, dog squad, police band, security services branch, and emergency management command – will move out by the end of the year.
Greens police spokesperson Tammy Franks MLC welcomed the decision.
“The idea that Mounted Operations needed to remain in the CBD was a nonsense and the Adelaide Parklands should have never been considered for office buildings and barbed wire fenced compounds,’’ she said.
“Proximity to Adelaide Airport should always have been an option. It has worked in Victoria when the Southbank barracks became untenable in the modern era.”
Opposition spokesman Jack Batty also welcomed the decision not to use the parklands.
“Since the site was announced the Opposition has stood shoulder to shoulder with the local community to send Peter Malinauskas a message to keep his hands off our parklands and to reconsider this latest parklands land grab,’’ he said.
“We have gathered thousands of signatures , hundreds of people at public rallies to tell Peter Malinauskas to keep his hands off of our parklands.’’
Now is the time to protect Parklands forever: Lord Mayor, Greens
Now is the perfect time to redouble efforts to achieve world heritage listing for the Adelaide Parklands, according to Lord Mayor Jane Lomax-Smith.
Speaking at the announcement of plans to locate the police greys on land at Adelaide Airport, with an inner-city staging post to house on-duty horses on Wright Street, the Lord Mayor said that “now is the moment to really push ahead with world heritage listing”.
“It’s been going fairly slowly, and the impetus now might be appropriate to make sure the area is protected into the future.
Dr Lomax-Smith said she was “delighted” with the decision not to house the horses in the parklands. “We particularly value the parklands at the moment as we’re going through a housing boom in the city and we’re going to have more and more people living in the city and we do need to have access to open space,” she said.
“So this to me seems like a win-win situation for everyone. SAPOL, the mounted police, will have a better facility than they had imagined possible, the staging will provide a bit of street theatre with open stabling in the centre of our city and I think we’ll be seeing our greys on the streets for many decades to come.
“I’m really delighted that the horses will be staging in the city. It’s clear that there will some open air stabling, meaning that people will be see them – I hope – through the fencing and it’s great that there will be horses on our streets. There’s never been any opposition to horses in the city.”
Conservation Council of SA CEO Craig Wilkins echoed the Lord Mayor’s sentiments, saying the decision was a win for urban biodiversity.
“When the site at Mirnu Wirra was first proposed a whole range of community groups and individuals realised the values that were at risk there and mobilised, reaching out to decision makers and raised attention,” Mr Wilkins said.
“The one good thing that has come out of this is that the awareness from across the community about the wonderful biodiversity we have in our Parklands is so much higher now.
“People can appreciate that in the middle of Adelaide we have this incredible treasure that is full of orchids and native grasses and butterflies and birds.”
The Greens also celebrated the decision, calling it a “big win for people power”.
“The parklands belong to all South Australians and shouldn’t be used by the Government of the day as a land bank,” Greens MLC Robert Simms said.
“Labor should now rule out further parklands land grabs and back the Greens’ bill to provide state heritage listing to ensure that our city’s iconic green space is given the protection it deserves.”
Adelaide Park Lands Association president Shane Sody backed calls to progress world heritage listing for the parklands.
“We hope that this is an indication from the state government that they love your parklands,” Mr Sody said.
“And we offer the opportunity to work with us to progress world heritage listing. All sides of politics have been in favour of world heritage listing, but it doesn’t appear to have got very far yet. We hope that this will prompt the state government to commit resources to progressing that listing.”
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