South parklands site first pick for SA Police Mounted Operations Unit

Grant Stevens has told the government where police want to set up base for its mounted unit when it is forced to give way to the new WCH.

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

A disused portion of the south parklands has been chosen as the preferred site for the new location of the police mounted operations unit.

Police commissioner Grant Stevens has advised the state government the parcel of land – on the corner of Greenhill Rd and Sir Lewis Cohen Ave – has been selected following an exhaustive evaluation process.

The 8ha site – which is largely dry grassland and sparse gum trees – is in the southeastern corner of Mirnu Wirra Park 21.

The site was selected because it best suits police operational needs and will have the least impact on other existing parklands occupants and users – but the move is still likely to spark vocal criticism from groups opposing development on any parkland sites.

Mr Stevens said the decision was made following close scrutiny of many locations including privately owned land and several brownfields sites.

“We assessed each of those sites and considered their availability and suitability,” he said.

“This included factors such as their proximity to the entertainment precinct, the safety of the horses and riders in moving into the city in that they didn’t have to cross main roads.

“And some had restricted access which hampered operational capability. The preferred site also does not have a significant amount of civil works required or site remediation.”

Police Mounted Operations Unit Park 21 in the South Parklands would suit the Police Mounted Operation Unit’s needs, the state government has been told. Picture: Dean Martin

Mr Stevens said the site also had “the least” impact on other parklands users and would cause minimal disruption to neighbouring sporting facilities.

The state government gave SA police just over $2m to plan the move out of Thebarton police barracks when it announced the construction of the new Women’s and Children’s Hospital covering the site in September last year.

The main criteria for the new home for the police horses was that it had to be within 3km to 5km of the CBD and had to be a large parcel of clear land.

Mr Stevens said the final design of the new facility, likely to cost tens of millions of dollars, was not yet completed but it would have a capacity for up to 40 horses, compared with the maximum capacity at the Thebarton stables of 32 horses.

Besides stabling, the new facility would include office accomodation and preparation and training areas for mounted officers.

“It is likely the stable complex will be obscured from the main roads by the existing gum trees, it will be as unobtrusive and aesthetic as possible,” he said.

“But the majority of the eight hectare site will remain open paddocks that will be used to spell the horses and the existing trees will be part of that where possible to provide shade.”

It was anticipated each of the 14 business units, including the mounted operations, dog squad, police band, security services branch and emergency management command, housed at the Thebarton police barracks will move out by the end of the year.

Tiffany Kalderovskis rides one of police greys the Thebarton Police Barracks. Picture: Dean Martin

A state government spokesman said following Mr Steven’s notification the next stage, which was already underway, was to “undertake the necessary planning and scoping works to determine the cost and scale of the project.”

“Under legislation, any such site within the parklands may only be used for the purpose of the Mounted Operations Unit,” the spokesman said.

“If a decision is made to proceed with the site, the state government will work with the Adelaide City Council to identify unusable areas of parklands, such as the decrepit unused netball courts at Edwards Park, and undertake works to return them to parklands.

The 20,000sqm 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 state government previously intended to build the new WCH on the rail yards 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 commence by the end of the year with the opening pencilled in for 2030-31.

Legislation to fastrack the demolition of the Thebarton police barracks, which was constructed on vacant parklands in 1917, passed the lower house last November following 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 see numerous heritage listed buildings demolished - a move that has sparked outrage from both heritage groups and those opposed to building on the parklands.

Originally published as South parklands site first pick for SA Police Mounted Operations Unit