Adelaide’s proposal to make Thebarton Oval its new home will go ahead, says Tom Koutsantonis

The Crows’ plan to make Thebarton Oval its new home will go ahead with the loss of “none or one or two trees”, Tom Koutsantonis has declared.

Adelaide’s proposal to make Thebarton Oval its new home will go ahead despite wrangling over the possible loss of 10 trees, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Tom Koutsantonis says.

Mr Koutsantonis, whose West Torrens electorate includes Thebarton Oval, said he was confident that with negotiations a compromise would be made and the plan would succeed.

“The project is going ahead... We want the Crows to be happy, we want our residents to be happy,” he told FIVEaa on Friday morning.

“I’m completely confident we can come up with a solution that everyone can be happy with.”

At a special meeting on Thursday night, the plan the Crows’ master plan for the ground and surrounding area was endorsed to go out to public consultation.

Elected members also voted for the council’s chief executive to write to the South Australian Planning Minister Nick Champion to request that the State Planning Commission be declared as the “relevant authority” for any development of Thebarton Oval and the surrounding area.

But the fate of 10 trees on Kings Reserve, slated to be the Crows’ second oval as part of their plans, is still up in the air with the “lease line” in the area to still be agreed upon between relevant stakeholders.

But Mr Koutsantonis said the loss of trees would be minimal.

“I reckon we can minimise the loss to none or one or two,” he said.

The council also voted for the Crows rent reviews to be set at CPI or three per cent, with the motion adopted specifying “whichever is the lesser”.

Adelaide players Sarah Allan, Jordan Dawson and Chelsea Randall with Crows fans at Thebarton Oval. Picture: Keryn Stevens

West Torrens Mayor Michael Coxon said he hoped it was a big step forward in the issue.

“I sincerely hope that we have finally reached what I hope is a sweet spot,” he told the public at the meeting.

“Where our community and the Adelaide Football Club may be able to coexist.”

The council and Adelaide will also continue negotiations to finalise a transaction document, while the Crows agreed to delete a clause regarding the revocation of community land status.

This came after residents raised concerns around a clause that said the Crows could push for a 99-year tenancy with the potential – 10 years after the completion of the development – to consider entering into steps to revoke the community land status of the precinct.

But local residents, who voiced their displeasure with a flyer information drop that they said didn’t reach them, still held concerns after the meeting.

“We didn’t really get a lot of information,” Emma Dawes, a member of the 5031 Community Facilities and Greenspaces Action Group.

Vision of the Adelaide Football Club’s proposed new training, administration and community precinct at Thebarton Oval. Picture: City Collective

Dr Dawes said it would be interesting to see if the SPC would take up the council on its request for it to be the relevant authority for the project.

“I hope it would get a fair hearing on either committee,” she said.

Councillor John Woodward moved an amendment that the council provides it supports to the lease boundaries “depicted” in the Crows master plan dated October 23.

Dr Dawes said residents would be waiting to hear from the State Government regarding the lease boundaries at Kings Reserve.

“At the end of the day the State Government has made commitments to us that their funding will be contingent on saving trees that on the current picture are slated to be gone,” she said.

Originally published as Adelaide’s proposal to make Thebarton Oval its new home will go ahead, says Tom Koutsantonis