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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2010-06-22 Daily Xml
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GLENSIDE HOSPITAL REDEVELOPMENT

The Hon. J.D. HILL (Kaurna—Minister for Health, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Minister for the Southern Suburbs, Minister Assisting the Premier in the Arts) (15:00): I seek leave to make a ministerial statement.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.D. HILL: Today I can announce the latest developments in the state government's campaign to build 21st century mental health facilities at Glenside. The government has now signed a contract for the sale of a portion of the land on site to the Chapley Retail Group for construction of the retail precinct linked to the Frewville shopping centre. Just over 2.1 hectares of land will be sold to the Chapley Retail Group for $536 per square metre. Two independent valuations—

Ms Chapman interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! I can't hear you, minister.

The Hon. J.D. HILL: Thank you Madam Speaker. It's rudeness on the other side.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! I can't hear the minister.

The Hon. J.D. HILL: Thank you, Madam Speaker. Two independent valuations of the land sought by the government indicated values between $451 and $569 per square metre. The Chapley Retail Group will now face a range of challenges to be dealt with on the site, including heritage issues with the southern heritage wall intersecting the land, a number of significant trees across the site and a set timetable for planning approvals and development. The department of transport will purchase up to 0.16 hectares of land along Glen Osmond Road, currently owned by the Chapley Retail Group, for road widening purposes.

In total, the state government received more than $10.6 million in net revenue through this contract. These funds will be reinvested in the $130 million project to provide a state-of-the-art, brand new 129-bed hospital for some of the most vulnerable people in South Australia. In addition, this project includes:

a 15-bed intermediate care centre;

20 new supported accommodation places;

a drug and alcohol outpatient facility; and

education, training and research facilities.

The Glenside site will also include the Adelaide Film and Screen Centre currently under construction, commercial facilities and a future housing development.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Minister.

The Hon. J.D. HILL: Thank you, Madam Speaker. This project will transform Glenside from a patchwork of ageing buildings sprawled across an underutilised and unfriendly 30-hectare site into a hub for the whole community.

At the heart of the new Glenside site will be the hospital facilities caring for people with mental illness and substance abuse issues. The architecturally-designed hospital will replace the ageing and foreboding buildings currently on site with single bedrooms arranged around private, landscaped courtyards with a central shared garden open to the general public. Providing new facilities with landscaped gardens and surrounding the hospital with community activities, including retail areas, housing and an arts precinct, will add normality to Glenside, challenging age-old stigmas about mental health. Importantly, there will be about nine hectares of landscaped open space created on the site, including a community park, wetlands, walking areas and a junior soccer pitch.

To allow for the construction of the new hospital, some trees on site will need to be removed. However, the design team has gone to great lengths to ensure the design retains as many trees as possible. The rejuvenated campus will also see more than 600 new trees planted as part of the hospital redevelopment, ensuring that trees remain a dominant landscape element of the site. The new plantings on the campus will include trees and shrubs native to the Adelaide Plains.

Recently, there has been a move by a member of the public for the protection of one of the Glenside buildings, Eastwood Lodge, the former nurses' accommodation. I inspected the building myself about a month ago. Currently, a three-month period of consultation is under way by the State Heritage Council. Preservation of this building would mean a slightly smaller amount of open space on the site. If Eastwood Lodge is given heritage protection, of course, it will need to be used in some way. A number of possible uses for the building are currently being investigated ahead of a final decision on its heritage value. There are some concerns that Eastwood is suffering from concrete cancer and that there are some large cracks of concern. These matters will also be investigated. So there are some issues with the site but they are being addressed. However, I make it clear to the house that the government has no intention of managing this building or funding its redevelopment and maintenance so, if it is to be protected, we need to find somebody else who wants to take on those roles.

Since coming to office, the Rann Labor government has committed more than $300 million towards providing additional and improved mental health services for South Australians as part of a massive health reform agenda. Within two years the new Glenside Hospital is expected to open, providing South Australians with the very best mental health and substance abuse facilities in this nation. Glenside Hospital will emerge as a national and potentially international leader in mental health and substance abuse services and as a centre for excellence for the delivery of treatment and care. On top of that, new mental health facilities will be provided elsewhere across the metropolitan area, and in country South Australia we have dedicated mental health beds for the very first time. This government is absolutely committed to caring for and supporting our most vulnerable in our community.

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