State government asks Adelaide City Council for parklands space to build carpark for new Women’s and Children’s Hospital

SA Health wants to build the new Women’s and Children’s Hospital carpark on the parklands – but it’s been sent straight back to the drawing board.

Adelaide City Council has been asked to surrender parklands for a multistorey carpark for the new $1.95b Women’s and Children’s Hospital.

SA Health has formally written to the council asking it to relinquish control of land west of the railway lines on Gaol Rd, near the Royal Adelaide Hospital on North Tce.

The land includes part of Kate Cocks Park, which contains an olive grove planted by inmates of the nearby Adelaide Gaol in the 1860s. The area between the state heritage-listed Thebarton Police Barracks and Adelaide Gaol is used by SA Police to agist its horses.

The historic buildings are within a new 22ha zone proposed to be developed as a health precinct under an amendment to the Planning and Design Code released for community consultation.

The changes – which involve various parts of the Riverbank Precinct along the River Torrens and North Tce – were discussed by elected members at a council workshop on Tuesday night.

Construction of the multistorey carpark was discussed at another council workshop last month, when SA Health officials detailed how investigations had ruled out building it under the new WCH or over the adjacent railway lines.

Instead, it had been decided the carpark would be built beside Gaol Rd and joined to the hospital with a bridge able to carry pedestrians and vehicles dropping off people.

The entrance to Gaol Rd from Port Rd would be upgraded for the carpark, which has been branded by SA Health as a “transit hub” within the new health precinct proposed under the zoning changes.

Lord Mayor Sandy Verschoor told the meeting SA Health had been informed the council was opposed to the construction of the carpark within the parklands and wanted other options to be investigated.

“We have gone back to them with several considerations such as to go underground for the carpark, increase the height of the hospital to include the carpark, to build the carpark over the tracks,” she said. “Basically, options which are available and do not include building over the top of parklands.”

Ms Verschoor said she also was concerned about the size of the proposed health sub-zone “which seems to indicate future and further developments are going to be done”.

“My major concern is that there could be no further consultation over future development on that site,” she said.

Ms Verschoor was supported by Crs Anne Moran, Helen Donovan, Keiran Snape, Mary Couros and Franz Knoll, who also voiced their opposition to the carpark and rezoning.

Crs Alexander Hyde, Greg Mackie, Jessy Khera and Phillip Martin, who was in hospital, were apologies for the meeting.

Originally published as State government asks Adelaide City Council for parklands space to build carpark for new Women’s and Children’s Hospital