‘Thousands of signatures’: City locals fight to stop high rise neighbours
A plan to revitalise an Adelaide oval precinct with high rise housing is facing backlash from local residents who say the plans are “more wants than needs”.
Prospect Council is set to hear the voices of concerned residents at next Tuesday’s meeting, with locals set to table “thousands of signatures” from petitions opposing plans allowing up to 12-storey buildings near Prospect Oval.
Petition leader William Curtis said that more than “70 per cent” of residents in the City of Prospect area opposed the bid for a new high-density development to spring up along Main North Road.
“Our concerns are that the size and scale of the development is far in excess of anything else within the area and will basically dwarf any of the other developments,” Curtis said.
“Typically, developments around Prospect are up to five or six stories, and that’s what we would like to see, some more medium density development as opposed to this massive development that’s being proposed now.”
The “once-in-a-generation” Prospect Lifestyle Precinct Masterplan to revitalise Prospect Oval and its surrounding community and commercial land was first endorsed by council in June 2025, with estimated costs around $60 to $70 million.
You might like
The council plans to add a large new multi-purpose facility, build new facilities for local sporting groups and partner with external developers to build a new residential hub on the edge of the precinct.
Among the proposed developments are new community and recreation facilities for the Prospect RSL, Prospect District Cricket Club and the North Adelaide Croquet Club.
To fulfil the plans, Prospect Council submitted a Code Amendment for community consultation to allow for a maximum height limit of 12 storeys for buildings adjacent to the oval on Main North Road.
The council also lodged an application to Local Government Minister Joe Szakacs asking for community land status for three parcels of land to be revoked so the area can be developed as part of the Prospect Lifestyle Precinct plans.
Stay informed, daily
Curtis said the proposed upgrades to the oval precinct were “more wants than needs”, and that the development could be done on “a much smaller scale”.
“They’ve been working through the plans for several years, and in each instance, the proposal has grown larger and larger,” he said.
“We are definitely in support of the development. We just think that through this whole process, we’ve ended up with something massive, which is not to the community expectations.”
Curtis said he and other concerned Prospect residents had amassed more than 2000 supporters through a combination of door knocking and an online petition which currently has 846 signatures.
“We’ve secured about 2230 signatures in less than a month and we’re going to put that to the council at the Tuesday meeting next week,” Curtis said.
“We think that this really sends a strong message that most people are against the high scale of development, and hope the council take this community feedback on board.”
A spokesperson for the City of Prospect said the council was “aware of the petition” but was unable to comment further until it had been considered by council next Tuesday.
“Since Council’s strategic acquisition of land adjoining the Oval on Main North Road in 2023, the Prospect Lifestyle Precinct project has undergone a rigorous, four-phase community consultation process,” the spokesperson said.
“This comprehensive approach was designed to ensure all community members had multiple opportunities to provide feedback and help shape the future of this significant site. Participation across all phases has been strong, highlighting the importance of this project to our community.
“Phase 4 of community consultation on the draft Code Amendment recently concluded after a period of six weeks. All feedback received is currently being collated into a Community Engagement Report, which will be presented to Council in April.”
The spokesperson said council would “consider all community feedback as part of its decision‑making”, with final plans requiring formal approval from Minister for Planning Nick Champion.
Want to see more stories from InDaily SA in your Google search results?
- Click here to set InDaily SA as a preferred source.
- Tick the box next to "InDaily SA". That's it.
