While I’m excited about the Mountain Bike proposal I can’t believe they are contemplating putting soccer pitches and car parks in place of some outstanding open space which is often got kangaroos sunning themselves. People who bought a home opposite a National Park will now be opposite a sports complex with all the associated noise and disruption. Terrible idea!!

I can't understand how an area abundant with footy and soccer ovals needs more. What makes it worse is the choice of area. A national park? Really? What happens to the native flora and fauna? This is not the place.

A map would be handy to visualise the impact of the proposed soccer fields. Methinks the size of the fields would be substantially larger and their regular shapes would impact more than the golf course so the feel of the area would substantially be changed from the nature aspects of the park. In my view, it is the natural environment that is valued and treasured, not so much the tennis courts. Sports fields are an important community asset as it attested throughout the suburbs but we have only one Belair National Park.

Soccer pitches do not contribute to preserving the natural ecosystem like a national park should. Belair NP is already fairly urbanised due to it's suburban/urban fringe location and proximity to the CBD, so full restoration of the true natural environment is unlikely. But that does not mean less disturbing uses like cycling, mountain bike riding and hiking cannot be encouraged and foster. There is a good tourism opportunity for these activities, while soccer does not bring the same kind of visitors. Late night lighting is also disturbing for wildlife so if soccer does proceed then it would be important to restrict the playing hours.

I am from The Netherlands where we don't have places like Belair National Park and I can't believe there is a plan to destroy part of it!!! We need more wild areas, not less. The area should be part of the National Park and the focus should be on conservation and revegetation and nature education. So some trails going through would be nice so we can all enjoy it without the noise and light pollution of organised sports but with the sound of birds and the beauty of nature. The nature and wildlife here are amazing and unique and there is an incredible biodiversity -we should be celebrating and preserving and improving it, not degrading with sports fields.. I can't believe there is even a proposal to do such a thing!! It makes me feel very sad. From what I understand it is even en endangered woodland area. That should definitely be protected. And what is better for our community and children than more green spaces and wildlife. I grew up with a lot less of that and I have been craving it all my life. Once it is gone, it is gone! So important for our physical and mental health to have wild and green open spaces and places to explore.

The local soccer club has just received a massive grant to upgrade the facilities at Karinya reserve. It would be an obscene waste of money to create yet another facility for them. There are many more cyclists than soccer players that would benefit from shared use of this area, as cycle friendly paths are at present very limited within the national park. This would come at a far lesser cost also. The rest of the area should be revegetated in an aim to promote biodiversity. I also draw attention to the threatened E. Microcarpa woodland that would be cleared to make way for this soccer folly.

I would like to see the government compulsorily acquire all of the residential property on the southern side of Upper Sturt Road through to the Blackwood Forest to create a bigger national park. Then tunnel the Upper Sturt Road underneath the extended national park or close the road to create a land bridge between the new areas and the old areas. This would allow the wildlife to roam free through the Hills. Use the flat areas to put in solar panels which can also provide shelter from the sun for the wild life. Sell the green energy to fund the costs of the project. Mountain bike trails disturb the wildlife, erode the natural surface creating artificial pathways that impact upon the natural surface water flows , throw their wrappers from their energy bars all over the place and are responsible for a lot of graffitti. At night the cyclists disturb the nocturnal animals with their bike lights. I vote for no human activity in the park.

It states in the master plan that it aims to ‘benefit all users’. And is an ‘inclusive space for all users’. I feel that this master plan is the complete opposite of these two statements, and is indeed designed to suit one specific crowd which is the soccer club. I don’t think that this is a good community engaging design.
I think the mountain bike trails are a great idea separate to the rest of the design, they are welcome to anyone to use, and not disruptive to the local wildlife that live in the park. If you have ever walked the old fairways during the day you will notice that a lot of the wildlife is hiding away, however if you walk through the old fairways at around dusk (right when soccer trainings would be held) there is a huge amount of wildlife all through the park. This soccer club would be eating into a huge area of park that these animals can roam and enjoy.

The proposal for a large scale development in a National Park to benefit a private soccer club is a terrible idea. The park has become even more important since COVID with many more people enjoying the park than ever before.This project will involve clearing clearing native vegetation and disturbing the local wildlife as well as lighting to 7 pitches late into the evening, match sirens, whistles and crowd noise will ring through the park not to mention increased traffic to upper sturt road and surrounding streets. There will be soccer activities 7 days a week all year round making it inaccessible to the general public much of the time. A major carpark will need to be constructed and any overflow parking will be in local streets congesting the area even more. A licensed club house will operate until late at night which will add to the disturbance of local residents and the wildlife. What happens in the case of a bushfire emergency with all the extra people in the area trying to evacuate there is already concern for locals to leave without the added traffic from the soccer crowds. If the re zoning of the land were to go ahead this would pave the way for more high impact development in this section of the park in the future. Who will pay for this development? The Sturt lions Karinya reserve project is costing in excess of $2million for one pitch, times that by 7. This will be a lot of tax payers dollars going to a private club. What about spending that money on low impact projects in park that benefits the broader community.
Mountain bike trails, cafe, nature education / traditional owners cultural centre, meditation, yoga classes (re purposing the existing country club building for these), disc golf, shortened golf (9 holes), panic tables and shelters, a new nature playground, re vegetation of the fairways and wetlands at the existing dam location. This would benefit many more park users and be in keeping with the principles of the master plan. I am against any high impact development in the park and believe we should use this opportunity to create an even better National Park for all to enjoy.

Sturt Lions is a wonderful community focused club. It provided the opportunity for my disabled child to play sport and did so in a very welcoming and safe environment. When other sports were saying no, Sturt Lions made it happen. Sturt Lions needs a good standard of facilities to provide a safe environment. I support the Master Plan. This is a fantastic opportunity to make this area more accessible to everyone and to benefit the wider community.

I've been living in the area for 6 years now, prior to this was seconded to work in Canada for a 3 year period and I have to say the Environmental Laws around protecting and conserving their natural environment is Outstanding. The best thing of all is that Govt, Business & Community all work together and all agree every decision made is to ensure the conservation and preservation of Nature. Decisions are not just made to ensure business' profit or Govts gain points. When you have policies which Respect Nature then everyone knows where they stand from the beginning and what they can or cannot do. Pity that is not happening with this proposed plan, the lack of proper consultation from the beginning is startling to say the least, let alone the lack of transparency which is even more alarming. At this stage my Answer is a definite NO!! So the question I ask DEW what exactly are your future environmental plans for the next 30 years, ??? and how do you expect to reduce carbon footprint?

Fully support the new Master Plan. Put the cleared areas of the old golf to good use instead of becoming a fire risk that only benefits the selfish minority who live nearby in the short term until there is a fire. The locals dont want anything put on it the cleared land but only a couple months ago they were complaining about the fire risk. Either you allow the cleared areas to be put to use or be prepared to accept the fire risk. Putting soccer fields in the cleared area is a compromise that retains the open space and stops it becoming an overgrown fire risk.

Huda - no, it is you who is missing the point. It's not just about the lovely morning walks it is about having soccer pitches 200 metres from your house within, literally a stone's throw, and all that goes with that - yelling players and supporters, hundreds of players and supporters trying to access the area. Also, it is not a neglected piece of land it is land which belongs to all of us as part of a national park. It is not land for a selected few.

Firstly, I am totally surprised and shocked this DRAFT plan is even a Proposed PLAN. The fact that the current proposal for 7 Soccer Pitches in the Belair National Park - "National Park" would include the removal of a Significant Number of Grey Box Trees as listed as "Endangered" under the Federal Govt Act is even a consideration is beyond comprehension. This begs the question what do the DEW actually look at when such proposals are presented. ? Something isn't right and smells fishy to me, lets call it Corporate Corruption and Government Maladministration, Again!

The proposed plan aims to cater for a larger group of the community. People who live nextdoor to the golf course and just around the corner from the National park are missing the point. It’s not just about your morning lovely walk (which you still can enjoy in other parts of the park). We would love to have modern facilities that caters for our children’s need. My children have been playing with Sturt Lions club for years. They’re in the junior teams now. Have been all over the place for training. We shouldn’t be dragged everywhere just because there’s no proper home ground facilities.
Crowds will bring money and jobs to a neglected piece of land.
We’re very jealous every time we play at other clubs home grounds. Very sad actually.

Christopher - I appreciate your reply.

There are currently a number of different sporting facilities within the National Park.

Multiple Tennis courts as well as Football and Cricket pitches. The Soccer club proposal replaces yet another sporting facility, the unused golf course.

I do agree it needs to be planned in such away that doesn't take away from the national park, but did the Belair Country Club do this, did the Golf Club, does Main Oval or Gum Oval do this.

Yes, most likely there will be more visitors to the park in the winter months. The Sturt Lions Football club has a large number of children playing in its junior system. Many more than can be facilitated on grounds in the council area.

Is this a bad thing?
Is this a space only for immediate residents or the wider community?

Done well this initiative supports the local community. Introduces thousands more to our National Parks and finally does something with the vacant scrub left behind after the demise of the golf park.

I live in Hawthorndene with my husband and eighteen month old daughter. We go for walks in this area every single evening. We show my daughter the kangaroos. We listen to the birds. We stop and meet locals and their dogs. To say I am appalled that this 'soccer' idea is a suggestion on how the land should be used, is an understatement. It is a massive overstep by DEW to assume that they can take this space from the locals people AND animals which call it home, and 'give' it to a soccer club. A soccer club who will pollute the natural environment with their noise, lights...I've even heard synthetic grass is a likely material to be use?? The harm to nature that this will cause is appalling. There are tons of ovals in SA. There are tons of buildings and car parks. How many national parks are there with so much native biodiversity? The ONLY people who should have a say on this matter are the locals. We are the ones living in the area. We are the ones who have invested in the area. WE are the ones who KNOW the area. This idea needs to be scrapped immediately.

As a resident who resides on the Belair National Park's edge with his young family, where the proposed Soccer pitches are zoned, I am both appalled and disappointed that this is a viable decision for the department. The irreversible damage it would cause to the area, not to mention the added noise, traffic and light pollution issues. Belair is a unique bushland gem with a very diverse history that supports various threatened flora and fauna communities and provides a vital corridor and breeding area for many species. Its environment is unique for all kinds of nature recreational activities; bushwalking, riding, picnicking, taking photographs, running, and educational, heritage, and environmental activities. As an ecological consultant, I firmly believe that the old golf course area needs to be revegetated and kept to promote these activities. I love sports and think the Sturt Lions are doing a marvellous job, but there are more functional, fewer impact places for them to reside than a natural bushland setting. Pitches, car parks and clubrooms go against the ethos of an environmental park and the department's vision. Mountain biking and walking trails can be made without upsetting the natural feel of the park, which must be preserved at all costs. This money should be put back into the park for flora and fauna management as some very unique remnant habitats could thrive with extra funding and management.

I live in Glenalta. I am happy to have something more vibrant for that section of the national park. 7 soccer pitches seems a bit boring though, it wouldn’t be of any personal benefit. I would be very excited if a community pool was considered. I am happy with the idea of frisbee golf and bike tracks. It seems like it could be an opportunity for national park camping too.

My concerns are of the increased destruction of remnant bush within our National Park. The encroachment into this area with the destruction of trees and understory will follow with a subsequent marked increase in human activities.
This debate addresses
1) disturbing the flora and fauna in National Park with
a) marked increase in human activity
b) increased noise
c) increased bicycle and vehicular incursion.
c) loss of indigenous vegetation.
d) loss of the overawing gift of peace, with the beautiful songs of birds when walking in the park.
e) loss of birds, flora and mammals.

Our National Park is sacrosanct.
To increase the takeover of this public area by businesses , be that by private schools, soccer clubs or other entities is a legacy which I do not wish for my community, nor for my grandchildren.

Thus I oppose the construction soccer fields and bike tracks in National Park.

Sorry - the lighting at Manson Oval should read $200,000

Since the inception of the Master Plan involving the Lions Football Club I became curious of their background so looked them up.In May 2019 they were gifted $2,000,000 of taxpayers' money to upgrade their facilities at Karinya Reserve - this was to upgrade the pitch and club rooms. In October 2019 they received a further $200,00 for lighting at Manson Oval. In the same year they received a further $400, 000 for work at their Hewett Reserve facilities. If they have spent $2,600, 000 on all these facilities I am at a loss as to why they would abandon these facilities to start from scratch in the Belair National Park.

Also, if the plan is accepted is the taxpayer, once again, going to fund the huge development costs ? Just curious about all of it.

It should be apart of a community development that includes alot of different sports not just soccer. Basketball courts, tennis, soccer and gym , playground etc.

I agree with E Virgo when she/he says "I love the conservation efforts, walking trails and bike paths that are proposed for the Belair National Park, but am very strongly opposed to the soccer development. It's too large, and comes with far too many negative impacts on the local area and fauna and flora, and is too much development to be appropriate for a national park. I would rather see the land be revegetated."