Concerns shelved in massive Burnside Hospital expansion
A key leafy suburbs hospital has won approval for its $65m specialist health precinct after state planners dismissed resident fears over its impact.
The State Commission Assessment Panel (SCAP) approved the $65 million expansion of Burnside Hospital this week, heralded as a “major milestone” for the South Australian community with a focus on cancer care and room for thousands more operations a year.
Concerns from the community over its size, loss of trees, a lack of parking and the airbridge connecting the new precinct with the old hospital were overridden by the panel.
SCAP was given the decision-making power for the proposed redevelopment of the Toorak Gardens Hospital in May by the state’s Planning Minister Nick Champion, after leapfrogging the City of Burnside’s planning powers in May.
At the time, Champion said the project was too important to fail, and that SCAP’s appointment was made to ensure a transparent assessment process would occur.
“Given the scale and complexity of this proposal, I have determined that the State Planning Commission is best placed to provide an independent and transparent assessment process,” Champion said.
SCAP has now granted planning approval for the major Kensington Road healthcare precinct, to be located next to the existing hospital and linked by a footbridge.
The new building will sit on two parcels of land at 126 Kensington Road and 2 Moore Street, Toorak Gardens, currently used as a car park.
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The three-storey hospital expansion was expected to increase the overall centre’s chemotherapy treatment services by 33 per cent. It will also add a linear accelerator – used in the radiation treatment of cancer patients – to the hospital’s facilities.
Two new operating theatres will be built to meet the demand for day surgeries. Once up and running, Burnside Hospital said its new theatres could cater for up to 3500 additional patient procedures each year.
The state government said the project would support around 200 jobs during construction and more than 70 ongoing healthcare and support roles once operational.
Burnside neighbours and council concerns
More than 100 unique community representations were made to SCAP – and 96 opposed the development.
Key concerns ranged from inadequate on-site car parking which could increase traffic volumes on surrounding residential streets to issues with the “excessive” scale of the building.
Residents were also concerned about the removal of significant trees, the “inappropriate” airbridge that was thought to be “inconsistent with the local character/heritage feel” and increased noise in the area.
The City of Burnside had similar concerns with the proposal, noting it believed on-site parking was “inadequate”.
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A report to SCAP dismissed these concerns, noting it was a “reasonable and balanced development outcome”.
“The design effectively mitigates the visual impacts the building’s scale on the surrounding residential context through thoughtful architectural features and landscaping,” the report reads.
“While the proposal presents a theoretical parking shortfall and minor encroachments into setbacks, these are considered acceptable given the specialised nature of the use and the specific measures proposed.
“Professional reports on traffic, parking, noise, and light spill all conclude that the associated impacts can be managed through the development’s design and proposed conditions of consent.”
The report also noted the expansion was “a logical intensification” of development, and praised the new-look health precinct’s design, saying it mitigated the visual impacts of the building.
“This marks a major milestone, not only for the development of our Health Precinct but also as a major piece of healthcare infrastructure for the South Australian community,” Burnside Hospital CEO Alan Morrison said.
“We are naturally delighted with the outcome as it reflects the enormous amount of work that has gone into our proposal, both in terms of being sensitive to our surrounding community and in delivering the services that are needed.
“With the range of services this investment will deliver, we will be meeting growing demand for quality health care services and underscoring Burnside Hospital’s ability to care for our community for decades to come.”
The build process was expected to take between 18 and 24 months, with first patients arriving in early 2028.
Health Minister Chris Picton was “pleased to see such a significant investment in our private hospital network being given the go-ahead”.
“Once this hospital’s upgrade is completed, it will be able to care for more patients, provide improved cancer services, and enable more surgical procedures,” he said.
