GLENTHORNE: NOW FOR SOME VITI RESEARCH - PHOTO by LEO DAVISSTATEMENT from the offices of the Premier Mike Rann and Hon Paul Holloway, Minister for Urban Development and Planning
Tuesday, 24 March 2009
GLENTHORNE FARM DEVELOPMENT REQUEST DECLINED
The State Government has today declined a request from the University of Adelaide to set aside a section of Glenthorne Farm for housing.
Premier Mike Rann said the University had requested that some of the farm near O’Halloran Hill in Adelaide’s south be redeveloped to fund its Woodland Recovery Initiative.
“The Government has declined that request and has instead offered to work with the University to find alternative sources of funding for its aim of reafforesting the property to create native
woodland,” Mr Rann said.
“Glenthorne Farm has a special relationship with the community in the southern suburbs as well as the winemaking industry at McLaren Vale.
In 2001 Glenthorne Farm, the former CSIRO research facility at O'Halloran Hill, was handed over to Adelaide University by the State Government for use as a vineyard and winemaking facility.
The former State Government purchased the 200-hectare property from the Commonwealth in 1998 after CSIRO’s decision to quit the site.
Minister for Urban Development and Planning Paul Holloway says the proposal put to the State Government by the University failed to meet the terms of the deed and land management agreement signed at the time of the transfer in 2001.
“The State Government's view remains that the land was transferred to the University on the basis that there would be no housing on the site and that it would become a teaching and research centre for the wine industry,” Mr Holloway says.
“The University proposes to reafforest 150,000 hectares of woodlands in the Adelaide Hills face, a concept which has some merit.
“I have written to the University vice-chancellor offering to work with his staff to identify Alternative funding through research grants that can finance the woodland recovery initiative without requiring any of the land to be sold off for housing.
“The State Government supports the retention of open space within the metropolitan area.
“We remain committed to ensuring that the pressure to develop land within the urban growth Boundary is balanced by the retention of sufficient public open space for community use.”
News Release
www.premier.sa.gov.au
for background to this strange odyssey of humans vs. hubris type Glenthorne Farm in the search box top left corner
4 comments:
You little beauty. You done good Philip. Some of us know how hard that was. Generations will be grateful!
If Rann's intervention is anything to go by, he has advised the University, rather kindly, that it should abide by the conditions of the lease. So when will we see the vineyards? The winery? I don't believe this. This is election lipstick on the Rannpig. Bring on the Indies!
Many congratulations on your win from your persistence with this issue! Re Goers, was he also part of the wheel to stop this happening or was he simply too busy sticking his head where the sun doesn't shine...??:) Well done Philip!
Hi Phil,
great to see there will be no urban sprawl for Glenthorn Farm.
As an 18yr old I was working for the University and remember hand planting a Faba Bean trial on the property. It is a beautiful property and has an amazing range of soils much better suited to agriculture than houses!!
I thought I would drop you a line as I heard along the grapevine you are putting together some ideas on viticultural trials for the site and I would love to contribute to the debate. So drop me a line at Peter Lehmann wines.
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