Parkland Preservation Movement
Since the parklands were intended by the city founders to be reserved for parks, any development can be seen to go against the founding ambitions for Adelaide and be a source of controversy in the community.
In response to incessant pressure and erosion, in 1987 a public meeting was held, which resulted in the formation of the Adelaide Parklands Preservation Association Inc, (APPA). Examples of such pressure and erosion are listed on APPA's "Hot Topics" page.
A recent example of one such source of controversy is the Victoria Park racecourse and associated parklands south-east of the city centre which has been used for motor racing events for short periods of each year. In 2008 these parklands were targeted for development, incurring opposition from members of the community. The proposed plans included construction of a permanent facility to house events such as the Adelaide 500 motor racing event.
On 30 August 2007 veteran Adelaide heritage consultant and conservation architect Ron Danvers said it was "a myth" that Adelaide's founding fathers created the parklands exclusively for open space, and that it was "self-evident" that Colonel William Light's 1837 plan of Adelaide envisaged development of facilities beyond the CBD. In a submission to the Adelaide City Council, Mr Danvers said the state Government's $55 million plan for a grandstand at Victoria Park for horse and motor racing was "completely consistent with the founding principles for the city". "Under Light's direction, the intention to locate public facilities outside of the main street grid is beyond question," he said in a report commissioned by developers KBR.
Subsequently, numerous counter-arguments demonstrated the falacies in those points of view, and the proposal was dropped.
Read more about this topic: Adelaide Park Lands
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