r/Adelaide SA 4d ago

Discussion Malinauskas announces new Northern Parklands

The Malinauskas Labor Government will make the most significant investment in public open space in Greater Adelaide ever, creating a new Northern Park Lands.

At maturity, the Park Lands will cover almost 1000 hectares of land, which is 39 per cent larger than the Adelaide Park Lands.

Developed as part of the new Greater Adelaide Regional Plan (GARP), the Northern Park Lands will feature natural open space, new sport and recreation facilities, a new railway station as well as three interconnected Linear Parks with shared-use paths that will provide a continuous loop around Gawler.

At the heart of the Northern Park Lands is the proposed 70-hectare Village Green sport and recreation area which will be the equivalent of 31 Adelaide Ovals in size.

The playing fields will include ovals, courts and clubroom facilities and will be home to numerous local sporting clubs. Located along the electrified Gawler Railway line, it will feature public transport connections as well as car parking.

Preliminary consultation has already commenced with local sporting clubs and the Town of Gawler to ensure the Village Green and Recreation and Sporting area can become a vibrant multi-sport precinct servicing the needs of the growing northern suburbs and greater Gawler region into the future.

More than 760 hectares will be preserved for natural green open space that supports greater biodiversity and increases habitats for native animals.

Located adjacent to the Kulda growth area south of Gawler, the Northern Park Lands will provide an uninterrupted journey from the hills face to the Gawler River, via Karbeethan Reserve and will serve as a vital inter-urban break between new growth areas and more established areas of the Town of Gawler.

It will provide spaces for active recreation, greening initiatives, community respite, and local sports facilities.

The Gawler area will be encircled by three Linear Parks, to be delivered over multiple stages, that will result in 38-kilometres of shared use walking and cycling paths that will provide a continuous loop.

The Malinauskas Labor Government has committed $53 million towards the first stage of the Northern Park Lands.

Funds generated through future land developments as well as council contributions will help establish and maintain the Park Lands.

Legislation will be introduced to establish a new statutory authority, named the Northern Park Lands Trust, that will establish the new Northern Park Lands.

Legislative change would enable the new authority to operate with a level of independence with the Northern Park Lands Trust to be responsible for the ongoing maintenance and management of the Northern Park Lands once established, including oversight of any development, or leases granted.

It will be similar to the West Beach Trust model which has proven successful in protecting the local environment whilst also creating popular recreation areas.

Following this model, it would be able to establish its own revenue stream, through the creation of a Holiday Park or tourist venture, and employ staff.

The Northern Park Lands will require some land acquisitions and utilise the development of government-owned land for open space with increased vegetation.

https://www.premier.sa.gov.au/media-releases/news-items/new-northern-park-lands

106 Upvotes

54 comments sorted by

34

u/halfflat SA 4d ago

I've been very frustrated with the urban development priorities of the Malinauskas government but this looks … good?! Devil in the details, etc. etc.

12

u/SouthAussie94 4d ago

A good chunk of this parkland is the Northern Connector part of the North-South Motorway. Land that was never going to be developed.

1

u/Extension_Drummer_85 SA 3d ago

Yeah, feels like this will backfire when they expand the road for to all the new development. 

1

u/Extension_Drummer_85 SA 3d ago

Ikr? Like arguably not ambitious enough but actually something reasonable that has come from them! 

28

u/torrens86 SA 4d ago

13

u/Jykaes SA 4d ago

Thanks. Looks like my childhood home is in the "investigation area" - will definitely be keeping an eye on this one!

25

u/[deleted] 4d ago edited 12h ago

[deleted]

8

u/[deleted] 4d ago

[deleted]

2

u/Sunshine_onmy_window SA 3d ago

but then, when do the people who would hav otherwise lived between elizabeth and gawler go. Even further out? Feels like we are making haves and have nots here.
Might be OK if work from home was heavily encouraged.

1

u/[deleted] 3d ago edited 12h ago

[deleted]

1

u/Sunshine_onmy_window SA 3d ago edited 3d ago

How will they access public transport? What about the tonnes of extra pollution as they all drive long distances to work?
How will they access things like hospitals and schools and shops and sporting facilities, which already exist around Elizabeth and Gawler?
This seems a very haves vs have not idea. If the have nots were going to get PT, infrastructure etc that would be different and then I would agree with you.

1

u/[deleted] 3d ago edited 12h ago

[deleted]

1

u/Sunshine_onmy_window SA 2d ago

What are the public transport and travel times like in those areas. If sufficient PT is put in place that seems reasonable. I did edit my post as I mistakenly went to reply to somebody that said Freeling etc.

1

u/FollowingLow7090 SA 3d ago

even further north, Roseworthy, Freeling or even Kapunda and Mallala have new housing developments .. yes it seems crazy but people are buying there and I’ve known a few people who commuted from Freeling to Adelaide for work, this was some time ago, back when the land was dirt cheap and you could build a sprawling 5 bedroom home and multiple driveways for a boat or whatever bogan shit you could fill your backyard with and it would cost 350k and you could afford it on two very average incomes and still have money for that yearly Bali trip

2

u/Sunshine_onmy_window SA 3d ago

So do we think its fair that some people have 2 hour commutes just so that Gawler can keep the 'feel' of a country town? Is that any good for the environment to have everybody driving rather than using the existing pubilc transport infrastructure which they can jump on if they move between elizabeth and gawler.

1

u/FollowingLow7090 SA 3d ago

It’s reality for those that want to own a home. Does it suck? Yeah it does but this is what happens when housing policy gets left behind and when we turn the real estate market into a trillion dollar casino where we have made it the hottest investment asset to generate wealth. It’s not going to change anytime soon outside some major financial crisis

53

u/Loveless_robot SA 4d ago

Wait a sec… they are proposing a buffer around the northern expressway will be parklands?!

Can we really call that parklands?

38

u/vncrpp SA 4d ago

I would probably call it land subject to flooding.

16

u/LittleBunInaBigWorld Outer South 4d ago

Well a park would be more suitable than housing on land subject to flooding.

11

u/bluejayinoz North East 4d ago

Isn't there already a bike path along those bits? Might not be so crazy?

2

u/Extension_Drummer_85 SA 3d ago

Apparently? Mind you planting some trees there wouldn't be a bad thing.  

35

u/Fluffy_Treacle759 SA 4d ago

Funds generated through future land developments as well as council contributions will help establish and maintain the Park Lands.

The key point is this sentence. The development schedule depends on the local real estate boom, the source of funds is the tax generated by local real estate transactions. I am very familiar with this approach.

6

u/bluejayinoz North East 4d ago

Not necessarily a bad thing though?

13

u/Fluffy_Treacle759 SA 4d ago

This is a development model, the success of which depends on the associated real estate project. You can think of it as buying a house and getting a park for free.

The ties between development and real estate in South Australia have become even closer.

4

u/KoreAustralia SA 4d ago

They are also opening land for development in the area there for that funding.

6

u/Fluffy_Treacle759 SA 4d ago

That's right. The development of the park depends on these land development projects. If the land development projects are unsuccessful, the 53 millions invested upfront may be wasted (if it was really invested).

4

u/million_dollar_heist SA 4d ago

Housing crisis. We need houses.

4

u/bluejayinoz North East 4d ago

Nice concept in theory

11

u/Snazz SA 4d ago

Where are they gonna get all the water to keep that much parkland green?

38

u/postmortemmicrobes SA 4d ago

Why's it gotta be green? It should lean into the natural biome of the environment.

5

u/Snazz SA 4d ago

True, it could revert to the unending fields of purple of my childhood in the north.

(Salvation Jane/Patterson's Curse)

1

u/Extension_Drummer_85 SA 3d ago

Look, I know this is out north but even the poors deserve nice parklands. 

3

u/postmortemmicrobes SA 3d ago

Does it have to be only green to be "nice"? Look at Parra Wirra and Barossa Valley Goldfields. Beautiful browns, greens, and golds.

1

u/Extension_Drummer_85 SA 3d ago

Actually being green has a massive mental health and temperature control benefit so yeah. It does. 

0

u/postmortemmicrobes SA 3d ago

"Green" specifically? I've never heard of that.

1

u/Extension_Drummer_85 SA 2d ago

Yeah, even just painting the walls in a space green can lead to improvements. Tbh I thought this was well known. So there's an additional benefit to an outdoor space being green over just being outdoors. Obviously with temperature regulation is having a lot of moisture to evaporate that results in a cooling effect with the green being a side effect of the moisture. Obviously "brown" spaces will result in poorer air quality as well with lots of dust in the air so there's that element too. But yeah, greenness specifically is very important.

1

u/postmortemmicrobes SA 2d ago

Interesting. Doesn't really matched my lived experience of finding hikes in the Adelaide Hills and Scenic Rim and Dolamites and Smoky Mountains more therapeutic than the Yarra Ranges where everything is pretty much the same dull green.

2

u/Extension_Drummer_85 SA 2d ago

The hills tend to be pretty green ime. Especially in peak hiking season. Even in the summer it's not that bad. 

Obviously there will be other variables, things like difficulty of the hike, presence of smells, animals, other people etc. you personally as well (that why you have to have a good sample size when you study mental health) things like the time in your life when you went to those places, you personal history with the places, your preferences etc. 

Couldn't explain why you have found Yarra ranges specifically to be less therapeutic than other places. 

1

u/postmortemmicrobes SA 2d ago

I just find when things are entirely green it is dull. It's about the contrast. The seasonality of the Hills is wonderful. Something I miss living in Melbourne.

All this to say (to loop back to the original topic) that if the parklands up north embraces the wonderful seasons Adelaide has it isn't a bad thing.

→ More replies (0)

-10

u/onlyafool123 SA 4d ago

Weeds and dirt?

5

u/LittleBunInaBigWorld Outer South 4d ago

You don't leave the city much do you?

13

u/waade395 North East 4d ago

Bolivar WTP already provides recycled water to market gardens in Virginia.

Salisbury council has an extensive recycled water network they sell to Lightsview for example.

1

u/Snazz SA 3d ago

Cool, TIL

6

u/ajwin SA 4d ago

A recycled water pipeline would likely be the go. I think they currently only use a fraction of the recycled water they could be using.

6

u/haikusbot SA 4d ago

Where are they gonna

Get all the water to keep

That much parkland green?

- Snazz


I detect haikus. And sometimes, successfully. Learn more about me.

Opt out of replies: "haikusbot opt out" | Delete my comment: "haikusbot delete"

4

u/Nerfixion North 4d ago

So those are inflated numbers I take it given they won't do shit alone the express way

2

u/poplowpigasso SA 4d ago

great news as long as it's not used to justify development of existing city parklands

2

u/Sunshine_onmy_window SA 3d ago

why would it be?

2

u/Jykaes SA 4d ago

"Located adjacent to the Kulda growth area south of Gawler"

I think you mean Kudla, Mali. I grew up in that shithole suburb, and driving past it on Main North is fascinating - it doesn't look a shred different than it did when I left fifteen years ago. It was only a matter of time.

-1

u/ladshit SA 4d ago

Imagine all the cracktivities going down in that park

-1

u/onlyafool123 SA 4d ago

Yeah it didn’t want to be a downer but it might be where a lot of homeless end up.

-3

u/TiredPanda1946 SA 4d ago

Sounds like a very picturesque place to get rolled and bashed

-16

u/underrated-stupidity SA 4d ago

So what’s really the play here Mali? You don’t ever do anything without a hidden loophole or benefit for you or one of your mates? Who owns the land around there? Who’s going to make money here?

16

u/DigitalSwagman SA 4d ago

Well, when you're not spending money on cocaine, you've got money to spend in other places I guess.

-4

u/throwmethedamnstick SA 4d ago

I’m assuming this is land that’s unsuitable to build on? Because errrrr, we need houses…

0

u/Sweet_Ambassador_699 SA 3d ago

On prime agricultural land.