Aquatic Centre: Petition reaches 1,000 signatures

Premier Peter Malinauskas has been urged to intervene to RESTORE and PROTECT Denise Norton Park / Pardipardinyilla (Park 2) in response to growing public demand.

The South Australian Government is prepared to invest $82 million to build a new regional Aquatic Centre. As part of the project, the Government is offering to restore the site of the current Aquatic Centre to Open, Green, Public Park Lands.

The site of the existing Aquatic Centre in Denise Norton Park / Pardipardinyilla (Park 2) was chosen more than 50 years ago, well before National Heritage listing of your Adelaide Park Lands.

Construction of a new Aquatic Centre represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to restore the location of the existing Aquatic Centre to Open, Green, Public. We’ve congratulated the Premier on the restoration part of his plan.

However, there is growing public disquiet about the site that the Government has announced for a new Aquatic Centre; within the same Park.

The Government’s public consultation process in July 2022 was flawed, because it limited choices only to sites within Denise Norton Park / Pardipardinyilla (Park 2).

In contrast, an open-ended survey of 682 survey respondents overwhelmingly (more than 85%) endorsed brownfield sites, rather than the Government's proposed Park Lands site. These survey respondents have had their views ignored.

A petition seeking that outcome has now attracted more than 1,000 signatures, more than the number who responded to the Government’s flawed consultation.

In summary, the community is demanding that the Government “Restore and Protect” this Park, rather than “Restore and Attack” it.

The Government claims its plan would protect trees, and there would be “no net loss” of Park Lands from its project. That is, at best, misleading spin. Dozens of trees remain at risk.

Even if it were true, it would fall short of public demands to RESTORE and PROTECT.

The Government says the site chosen could have been worse. On other Park Lands sites, even more trees might have been axed.  But the choice of site could have been, and should be so much better. 

New infrastructure does not belong in your Open Green Public Adelaide Park Lands.   We’ve written to the Premier suggesting that he listen to his own voters and switch attention to a brownfield site, such as the old West End Brewery site on Port Road at Thebarton.

What can you do?