Old Transport SA Car Park GARP Response

As part of the response to the Greater Adelaide Regional Plan (GARP) Discussion Paper, SPRA raised concerns about the car park located at the end of Holton Court, St Peters, being inclued in the areas to be investigated for possible Neighbourhood/Centre Infill.

This land was formerly used by the Department of Transport for a carpark for their offices across the River Torrens in Walkerville. The offices have been redeveloped into the Watson Apartments and Walkerville Terrace Shopping Centre. The Norwood Payneham & St Peters Council has approached the government in the past with a view to adding this land to the open space next to the Torrens River.

The vacant car park is surrounded by the River Torrens on two sides. The area is rich in urban wildlife including frequent sitings of koalas and birds.

SPRA are concerned that a large infill apartment complex on this sensitive riverine site has the potential to add a great deal of pollution to the river and to decimate the local environment and its wildlife. We also understand that the former Department of Transport carpark is built on fill, due to the history of sand and gravel mining along the River Torrens, followed by its use as a rubbish dump.

The recommendation of SPRA is that this land should be added to the Linear Park and made part of the Metropolitan Open Space System (MOSS) study area.

The Old Transport SA Car Park History article contains a history of Norwood, Payneham & St Peters Council decisions on the status of Transport SA Car Park including requests since 2006 that the site be included in the River Torrens Linear Park. In 2010, staff provided a report to council stating that site was previously owned by the East Torrens Municipal Destructor Trust and filled with local refuse and that it may be unstable due to the filled nature of the land.

The advantages in having the land remain in public ownership and undeveloped are:

• it prevents the inconsonance of having this island of land within the River Torrens Linear Park remain outside of the Linear Park;
• it will add to the integrity of the River Torrens Linear Park by providing continuity to the parkland appearance within the Park at this location, if the car park is converted to park land.

At the same time, the previous use of the land and its potential rehabilitation is an issue which will need to be resolved.