The real test of Adelaide’s growth is what we choose to protect

There’s no shortage of ambition in Adelaide right now.

Our city is growing. We’re attracting investment, new industries and building infrastructure.

We’re also hosting events that put South Australia on the map and bring people into our cafés, restaurants and businesses.

Most South Australians support that. I certainly do.

But growth shouldn’t mean we stop asking questions about what makes Adelaide special in the first place.

While buildings can be replaced and events come and go, some things are much harder to get back once they’re gone.

Our Park Lands are one of those things.

The Park Lands have defined Adelaide for almost two centuries. They’re the reason the city feels different from Melbourne or Sydney.

Although other Australian capital cities include parklands, none can claim a continuous ring of public green space around their centre. In fact, there are very few international examples either.

Importantly, the Park Lands don’t belong to any one State Government. Nor do they belong to the Adelaide City Council, although they fund and manage more than three quarters of the Park Lands.

They belong, in a very real sense, to all South Australians and to future generations who will inherit them long after political debates and ‘issues of the day’ have passed.

Any development slated for the Park Lands is a lightning rod for public debate. It’s emotive. And rarely do people sit on the fence.

But these conversations are important, especially given what’s being planned.

The new Women's and Children's Hospital is being built on a Park Lands site. Possum Park has been torn up to facilitate the State Government’s new public golf course.

And plans to bring the MotoGP to Adelaide have now raised concerns about the removal of hundreds of significant mature trees to accommodate the racing track.

No single project will fundamentally alter the Adelaide Park Lands.

But stewardship isn’t tested by a single decision. It’s tested by the accumulation of decisions over time.

A golf course here. A motorcycling event there.

Each proposal may be defensible in isolation, but South Australians are entitled to ask, and receive answers to, what the cumulative impact will be in 20, 50 or 100 years' time.

That’s not anti-development. It’s common sense. And what’s happening now in the Park Lands is clearly of public interest, given almost 40,000 people have signed a ‘Stop the Chop’ petition seeking to halt development.

The conversation about the future of the Park Lands should never be framed as a choice between growth and preservation. Adelaide deserves both.

We can build the infrastructure, create exciting new public spaces and attract major events our state needs. But we must also recognise that the Park Lands are not simply vacant land waiting to be repurposed. Their purpose exists already.

Their value lies in the open space, the trees, the biodiversity, the recreation opportunities and the unique character they provide to our city.

And they belong to all South Australians, not just those with an affinity for motor racing or golf events.

Consultation helps governments make good decisions. It gives everyone a voice, not just a few.

Our responsibility is to ensure that future generations inherit a city that is not only bigger and busier, but one that still possesses the qualities that make it so special now.

That includes our iconic Park Lands.

Authored by LGA South Australia President, Mayor Heather Holmes-Ross