Women’s and Children’s hospital
When announcing a change of site for the proposed new Women’s and Children’s hospital on 27 September 2022, Premier Peter Malinauskas claimed that you (and State MPs) had to make a binary choice. He urged MP’s to vote YES to a hospital, and NO to your heritage; NO to your Park Lands.
But he simply overlooked the best option: having both.
In November 2022, State Parliament passed legislation which allows a $3 billion new Women’s and Children’s Hospital to replace the Thebarton Police barracks and much of Kate Cocks Park in Park 27 of your Adelaide Park Lands.
Before the Parliamentary vote was taken, the Premier tried to portray this as a simple yes-no question. In effect, he asked politicians and the public to decide between a great new hospital, OR protection of built heritage and Park Lands heritage.
However this furphy, of a binary choice, was ridiculous. There was no need to choose between the two. There is still no such need. It shows a stunning lack of imagination to suggest that such a choice is required.
The proposed site of the new Women's and Children's Hospital would destroy not only the century-old heritage listed Thebarton Police barracks but would also confiscate a significant swathe of Kate Cocks Park within your National Heritage-listed Open Green Public Adelaide Park Lands.
In addition, the State Government has seized control of 19 hectares of your Park Lands, to facilitate construction over the next eight years. Most of Bonython Park/Tulya Wardli (Park 27) and a slice of the Narnungga Urban Forest in Park 25 is part of what the State Government calls its “Expanded Area” for the construction period.
There is a petition circulating which focusses on the threatened heritage Police barracks but also acknowledges the threat to your Park Lands.
This Park contains a heritage-listed grove of ancient olive trees, planted in the 1860’s. The proposed site of the Government’s proposed eight-storey car park would destroy at least this 160-year-old mini-forest, which includes 15 Swamp she-oaks and 38 heritage olives.
This artist’s impression, released by the State Government in May 2023, indicates only a handful of trees on the corner would survive in what would become the almost-complete destruction of Kate Cocks Park.
The State Government’s proposed 8-storey car park on the corner of Gaol Rd and Port Road on Kate Cocks Park. Pic: State Government artist’s impression
The Premier has dismissed the suggestion advanced by the Adelaide Park Lands Association and others that the ideal site for a new Women’s and Children’s hospital would be across North Terrace incorporating the old Newmarket Hotel and potentially other adjacent land. Mr Malinauskas claimed that this proposed site on the corner of North Terrace and West Terrace would be difficult for ambulance access - apparently unwilling to consider any engineering solution.
The site of the Newmarket Hotel opposite the RAH has been assessed as suitable for two buildings of up to 32 storeys each, (even while protecting the old hotel building) so there would be no problem finding space for sufficient hospital facilities.
Image supplied by proponents to InDaily
Bendigo Hospital air link bridge. Photo: Victorian Health Building Authority
The ‘Air Link’ bridge between the Royal Hobart Hospital and the adjacent Wellington Clinics. Photo: Tim Penny Architecture
Manchester in England has a hospital "Corridor in the Sky". In Sweden the same has been done at the Karolinksa University Hospital.
Manchester Hospital’s “Corridor in the Sky”. Pic: Sheppard Robson
An air bridge at the Karolinksa University Hospital in Sweden. Pic: Ramboll
Heritage consultant Sandy Wilkinson has suggested the same site with a pedestrian tunnel rather than an air bridge. Mr Wilkinson posted this concept on his Facebook page.
Sandy Wilkinson’s concept massing model showing how a new WCH could be built opposite the RAH behind the NewMarket Hotel with a pedestrian tunnel under North Terrace.
The State Government could use its powers of compulsory acquisition to purchase the Newmarket Hotel site (and, if necessary, more adjacent land) and construct a new Women’s and Children’s Hospital opposite the Royal Adelaide.
This could be a win-win providing a much greater range of hospital design options for the future health of women and children, while also providing a lifeline for the shrinking area of the Adelaide Park Lands.
In 2022, a State Government "Site Issues Working Group" (SIWG) analysed several different sites for the proposed hospital.
The working group's report found that putting a new Women's and Children's Hospital on the site of the Thebarton Police Barracks and your Open Green Public Kate Cocks Park would be a choice with "the poorest connection to the CBD, and limited connection to the inner western suburbs. As such, there is very little access to commercial car parking options, hotels, retail and patient centred services within a walkable distance."
On the other hand, the report found that a site on the corner of West Terrace and North Terrace would "significantly enhance the attractiveness of the north-west quadrant of the Adelaide CBD for further private investment from allied health and complementary industry".
So why is the State Government pressing ahead with its Park Lands choice? Why is it choosing to attack your Open Green Public Kate Cocks Park and demanding the demolition of ten heritage-listed buildings within the Thebarton Police Barracks?
Firstly, it's down to cost. The SIWG estimates that the cost of building on the corner of West Terrace and North Terrace would be 10% greater: i.e. $3.3 billion, rather than $3 billion.
Second, it's because the SIWG gave no weight at all to the value of your Adelaide Park Lands, and no weight to the value of the Heritage buildings within the Police Barracks in Park 27. Its "weighting" of the pros and cons of each option looked at:
Clinical 40%,
Master Planning 12.5%
Construction 20%,
Transport 12.5%,
Site Issues 10% (i.e. the difficulty of obtaining approvals; not the value of what would be destroyed); and
External Factors 5%
Third, one of the reasons given for recommending a Park Lands site is the likelihood of future expansion, further into your Park Lands.
The State Government has earmarked a “future expansion space” further into your Open Green Public Park Lands. Of course, expansion might also occur if the Government were to choose the alternative site near the corner of West Tce and North Tce.
The State Government has uncritically accepted the SIWG report's recommendation, despite the fact that the report assigns no value to your Adelaide Park Lands, no value to State Heritage listed buildings, and assesses the prospect of future Park Lands losses as a positive rather than a negative.
The State Government is trying to portray this decision as a binary choice: your heritage and your Park Lands; versus a new hospital. Of course, it's not a binary choice.
By refusing to give any weight at all to heritage or Park Lands issues, the Government is indicating that it's out of touch; that it's in thrall to a posse of architects, and clinicians who want to build their dream hospital, rather than a win-win for patients, hospital visitors and staff, city development, heritage protection and the future health benefits of saving your Park Lands.
Government spin: more “accessible” Park Lands
Misleading State Government spin is falsely claiming that your Park Lands will be expanded by construction of the hospital and its cae park. The Premier and other Government MP's are claiming that this hospital to be constructed on your Park 27:
"will see more than 30,000 square metres of inaccessible Park Lands around Adelaide Gaol restored and opened to the public."
This is of course, a mirage. It is effectively proposing a prisoner swap or a hostage exchange. Yes, there are areas of Park 27 near the old Adelaide Gaol that are "inaccessible" behind State Government fences. However the State Government itself (and the City Council) have chosen to make these areas inaccessible now.
These areas could easily be made "accessible" by simply tearing down the fences and allowing the areas to be re-greened or restored by willing volunteers. We’ve challenged the Government to do that.
Constructing a $3 billion hospital on your Park Lands does not make Park Lands “accessible” That’s just a figleaf or a smokescreen to justify a Park attack.
Government spin imagery makes fences disappear and landscaping appear after a major slice is cut from your Park 27.
In June 2023, doubts emerged about potential engineering problems associated with the Government's chosen hospital site. https://indaily.com.au/news/2023/06/06/call-to-halt-hospital-park-lands-build-over-flawed-advice/
At the same time, the Newmarket Hotel site across North Terrace from the Royal Adelaide Hospital, re-emerged for sale: https://www.commercialrealestate.com.au/property/9-14-north-terrace-adelaide-sa-5000-2018559629
DON'T MESS WITH THE PARK LANDS - NATIONAL HERITAGE CHAIR
Former Victorian Premier and now Chair of the Australian Heritage Council, Ted Baillieu has come to the defence of your Adelaide Park Lands.
Your Park Lands have been National Heritage listed since 2008, so this debate has gone national.
Interviewed by the ABC's national 7.30 program on Tuesday 11 October 2022 (and again on 891 ABC Radio Adelaide the following morning) Mr Baillieu said: "No one should mess, and can't mess, with a national listing without the approval of the federal minister."
Chair of the Australian Heritage Council; former Victorian Premier, Ted Baillieu. Image: ABC News: Andrew Altree-Williams)
"Because, on the surface, it appears that the new location chosen would breach the boundaries of the national listing."
The Government has admitted that this adjacent garden (pictured below) also within Park 27 of your Park Lands, would be reserved for “RAH future expansion space”.
Read the ABC story here: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-10-12/south-australian-government-heritage-listed-site-for-hospital/101522010
In November 2023, Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek was considering whether to use National environmental laws to intervene, to protect your Park Lands from this proposed development.
PLANNING THE FUTURE WITH A $3.2 BILLION PARK LANDS CONFRONTATION
North Adelaide journalist and researcher John Bridgland has read the SIWG report (so you won’t have to) and compiled this breakdown of why the State Government has chosen to pick a fight with both Adelaide Park Lands lovers, and State heritage advocates. (PDF, 8 pages 13 Mb)
CITY COUNCILLORS OPPOSE PROPOSED WCH PARK LANDS LOCATION
At a meeting on Tuesday 11 October 2022, the Adelaide City Council voted to oppose the Government’s preferred site for a new Women’s and Children’s Hospital.
City Mag’s Angela Skuljins reports: https://citymag.indaily.com.au/happening/clear-message-councillors-oppose-new-wch-location/
It's time to end the relentless attacks on Park Lands and think creatively about how to deliver optimum services without sacrificing any more of Adelaide's world-unique resource.
Where is it decreed that a new hospital must require destruction of a Park?
The false notion of a binary choice has been rolled out countless times throughout Adelaide's history to justify a never ending stream of attacks on this City's irreplaceable garland of green.
It’s been likened to Egypt selling off the pyramids:
The only difference this time, is that due to a lack of innovative thinking within Government, built heritage (the Thebarton Police barracks) is now joining your Park Lands heritage in the firing line as well.
Land can always be purchased for Government purposes. The cost of purchasing sufficient City land for a new Women's and Children's Hospital would be a miniscule proportion of this project's suggested $3 billion budget.
Providing new infrastructure and protecting heritage are not mutually exclusive. They never have been.
New Yorkers would not tolerate attacks on their Central Park to build facilities such as a new hospital. They would rightly insist that other locations should be found.
WHAT ABOUT THE FORMER PROPOSED SITE?
This garden off Port Road, within your Park 27, was chosen by the previous State Liberal Government as its preferred site for the new Women’s and Children’s Hospital.
This is the Open Green Public part of your Adelaide Park Lands off Port Road in Park 27 that was previously earmarked for the new Women’s and Children’s hospital .
Has this site and this century-old river red gum tree been saved? Only temporarily.
The current plans for the new Women’s and Children’s Hospital do preserve this garden site, but only temporarily. The State Government refers to this garden as “RAH Future Expansion Space.”
OLDER BACKGROUND
A leaked document obtained by The Advertiser in July 2018 ($$ subscriber-only link) outlined several other possible sites for the new Women’s and Children’s Hospital. Of the sites identified below, Sites 1, 3 and 4 are all on Park 27. Site 1 was chosen by the previous Liberal State Government in 2021 for the hospital. At the same time, Site 3 was chosen for a multi-storey car park, and site 4 (in Helen Mayo Park) was chosen for a new stadium - although the stadium proposal was cancelled by the Labor Government after its election win in March 2022.
Of these four sites, only Site 2, the Newmarket Hotel, on the corner of West Terrace and North Terrace, is NOT on your Open Green Public Park Lands.
THE DEATH OF 1,000 CUTS
Repeated Park Lands losses were once characterised as like "mice nibbling away at cheese". However recent attacks seem more like a debaucherous feast with participants devouring whatever is available, while it lasts.
The rate of Park Lands loss seems set to ratchet up exponentially unless the public can be alerted to save what's really precious and priceless.
There are many other sites within Adelaide Park Lands that are under imminent threat, or current attack.
If you think Adelaide can do better than this, then TAKE ACTION!
