Grandstand-off in full throttle over MotoGP move
Park lands advocates and a city councillor have kicked off after the Premier said his team was investigating a major piece of infrastructure for Victoria Park.
A grandstand debate has kicked off after Premier Peter Malinauskas revealed he has asked for options to reduce the impacts of temporary infrastructure during major motorsports events.
Malinauskas said he had asked his team to look at infrastructure that would not need to be bumped in and out each year during the bp Adelaide Grand Final and MotoGP.
“We’re not necessarily talking about a permanent stand, but what are the options we’ve got to try and reduce the impact where we can,” he told 5AA on Tuesday.
“Part of the problem economically is that the big cost with the Adelaide 500 is the setting up of the infrastructure and packing it down again by having the MotoGP come.
“What it actually does is it ameliorates that cost across two of them, which reduces the cost, but we get the upside of more economic activity for the city and the state, let alone all the international attention.”
The South Australian Motor Sports Board (SAMSB) intends to move the demountable pit complex from the middle of Victoria Park to an area along Fullarton Road for next year’s MotoGP. The refinement of the MotoGP circuit design is still ongoing.
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It was previously reported there may be extended road closures from 2027 while the two motor sports events, the bp Adelaide Grand Final and MotoGP, took place during November.
Wakefield Road and parts of East Terrace could be closed for up to a month while the events took place, with SAMSB CEO Mark Warren telling Adelaide City Council in June that it was unlikely roads would reopen during the weeks between the events.
“It’s not practical to open every road because there’s going to be infrastructure in place that is difficult to remove,” Warren told council.
At a May Kadaltilla meeting, the governing body for the Adelaide Park Lands, Lord Mayor Jane Lomax-Smith asked the SAMSB CEO if there were plans for permanent infrastructure in Victoria Park.
Warren replied saying “[there was] back in about 2007 or 2008” but did not explicitly rule out any future plans for a permanent grandstand.
Plans for a permanent 250-metre and four-storey grandstand were shut down back in 2008 following opposition from Adelaide City Council, which failed to grant the state government a lease for the area.
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Greens leader Rob Simms has urged the Premier to “rule out” a permanent grandstand in Victoria Park, saying the Park Lands should not be “a prop for Labor’s pet projects”.
“This debate was settled years ago and to dig this up again now at a time when there is already so much community outrage over the government’s land grabs demonstrates how out of touch this Premier is becoming,” Simms said.
“A new, permanent stand would overshadow the existing, iconic heritage-listed building and represent even more alienation of the Park Lands. This land should be open and accessible to all.
“Once again, this demonstrates the need to add the Park Lands to the state heritage register. We need to see their unique character and status protected for future generations to enjoy.”
Councillor Keiran Snape said it was a “disappointing situation” and urged the state government to “ditch this idea once and for all”, while Adelaide Park Lands Association president Mat Monti said the group would be strongly opposed to a permanent grandstand.
“If this government were to build a permanent grandstand it would be a monument to their greed and carelessness,” Monti said.
“If this government goes ahead with a permanent grandstand APA will campaign hard against it, as we’ve done with North Adelaide Golf Course.”
Speaking at a press conference today, the Premier said there was no current plan for a permanent stand but the government was looking at new temporary grandstand infrastructure to “diminish the impact on Victoria Park”.
“The existing pit building, the temporary demountable building that gets taken up and taken down every year and clogs up half of the park for six months of the year, that is approaching end of life,” Malinauskas said.
“At some point we will need a new one, so as part of the exercise in making sure that building is appropriate for MotoGP, there is work being looked at for what the future looks like for that pit building and what is replacing it.
“At this stage, our plan is to realign the track within Victoria Park to take the demountable pit building from the centre of Victoria Park to the eastern edge to open up the middle of the park which will improve the amenity of the park.”
Malinauskas said it was “hardly surprising” that Adelaide City Councillors were opposed to the MotoGP and “fundamentally” disagreed with their position.
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