by Shane Sody
Kadaltilla / the Park Lands Authority has chosen to highlight some very old examples of Park Lands sites “returned” to Open, Green, Public, while failing to acknowledging dozens of more recent, huge Park Lands losses.
The Authority has drawn attention to eleven sites within your Adelaide Park Lands that it says were “returned” to Park Lands - LONG AGO - between 1979 and 2016. In a social media post, Kadaltilla says, using the present tense: “Look at our Adelaide Park Lands coming back to life - a snapshot of the Adelaide Park Lands being returned.”
Based solely on this published resource, you might conclude, erroneously, that the area of Open, Green, Public space in your Park Lands has been increasing over recent years.
One of the sites Kadaltilla has chosen to highlight. Yes. this was “Park Lands returned” but it was way back in 1979. It’s certainly not reflective of Park Lands management in recent years.
The most recent of the eleven claimed “returns” was a tiny plant conservatory in Veale Gardens:
This tiny plant conservatory was demolished in 2016. Arguably, it was already Open, Green, Public.
Unfortunately, the truth is the exact opposite. The 11 sites, all “returned” many years ago, are vastly outnumbered and outweighed by the huge Park Lands losses that have occurred over the same time, and especially over the past decade, as the rate of losses has ramped up.
What we’ve pictured below are just some of the buildings and fences that have been erected on your Park Lands over the same period, dating back to the 1980s:
It’s surprising that in 2026, Kadaltilla has chosen to highlight State Government (and City Council) Park Lands “returns” from as long ago as 1979, and the 1990s. Our focus in recent years has been attempting to halt or slow the relentless rate of Park Lands losses.
At this stage there appears no end in sight to the endless losses of your Open, Green, Public spaces.
In recent decades, reclaiming Open, Green, Public Park Lands has been like trying to fill a bucket that’s full of holes.
