The State Commission Assessment Panel (SCAP) on Monday afternoon granted the Crows planning consent to build a new training and administration facility for its men’s and women’s teams at Thebarton Oval in Torrensville, after previous bids to relocate to North Adelaide and Brompton fell through.

The ground floor of the new Thebarton facility will feature a retail outlet, licensed café with outdoor dining and a club museum, while the second floor will hold a function room with a kitchen, bar and outdoor terrace.

The $100 million plan also includes five 40 metre high floodlights, realignment and resurfacing of Thebarton Oval, a new training oval at Kings Reserve and upgrades of the site’s state heritage listed entry gates and ticket stand.

An overhead map of the Thebarton Oval HQ plan. Image: supplied

Minutes of the SCAP meeting published a short time ago show the state planning panel found the proposed development was “not seriously at variance” with the planning code.

The planning consent is, however, subject to 15 conditions, including that the new floodlights can’t operate beyond 11pm on matchdays and 10pm on regular days.

The SCAP has also mandated that the club plants two replacement trees for every regulated tree it chops down, and three replacement trees for every significant tree it fells.

The Crows have applied to remove six regulated trees and four significant trees in their application. Overall, the club intends to plant 220 extra trees, increasing the total number of trees on site from 327 to 522.

The planning approval comes nearly two years after the club first announced that Thebarton Oval would be the site for its new headquarters, with the project subject to three rounds of public consultation and several redesigns to win over local residents concerned about tree and open space loss and traffic impacts.

A computer image inside the Crows’ proposed Thebarton facility. Image: City Collective

The state and federal governments are contributing $30 million to the project while West Torrens Council is chipping in $11.26 million to improve the broader Thebarton Oval precinct.

The SCAP received 162 representations about the Thebarton Oval project.

According to a planning report prepared for the SCAP, the majority of representors were opposed to the plans.

Crows chairman John Olsen told FIVEaa on Thursday that the club hopes to begin construction in September and complete the new facility by September/October 2026.

But the club still needs the City of Charles Sturt to approve the SANFL’s plan to move from Thebarton Oval to West Lakes’ Football Park .

The SANFL wants to spend $26.9 million on redeveloping the former AAMI Stadium precinct – where the Crows are still based – into a hub for its under-16s, under 18s, First Nations and multicultural talent programs.

The City of Charles Sturt is yet to grant the SANFL its desired 42-year non-exclusive license of Football Park amid council concerns over a lack of open space.

The SANFL’s proposed new facility at AAMI Stadium. Image: City of Charles Sturt

The council in April sent the SANFL’s proposal out to a second round of public consultation, which concluded on Sunday.

The council’s next meeting is set down for June 12.

The SANFL has a lease on Thebarton Oval until 2031 and the Crows’ move there can “only occur if the SANFL is able to secure another long term oval that suits its needs”, according to a City of Charles Sturt report.

InDaily approached the City of Charles Sturt and Adelaide Football Club for comment.

Thebarton Oval would serve as the Crows’ AFLW home ground under the redevelopment, with attendance predicted to be around 3500 to 4500 for regular season games and 9000 for finals games.

The Adelaide Football Club will be required to develop event management traffic plans prior to events taking place at Thebarton Oval as part of the planning consent conditions issued on Monday.

The traffic management plans must be to the satisfaction of the City of West Torrens and the Department for Infrastructure and Transport.