Here we go again. Another idea masquerading as bravely vanquishing the blockers. This time by excising a massive slab of Adelaide Park Lands and converting it to a development site with plans for land division.

As usual, the straw men have been erected to explain those in opposition are anti-development nimbies. Wrong.

We all want economic security, are happy to have investment in public infrastructure, but recognise better places for bulldozers and cranes than a Nationally Heritage Listed Park seeking World Heritage Listing.

The land targeted for development represents 10% of the Park Lands and includes the iconic riverbank, north and south, between King William Street and the Weir. It takes the entire area between the new RAH and the Gaol and includes the SAPOL site, the riverbank in front of the Parade Ground and areas of major aboriginal significance such as a site adjacent to the Botanic Gardens on Frome Road.

We expect our leaders to be custodians, not just land agents.

If nothing else, the scope of the land grab is audacious. The changes go well beyond finding a site on North Terrace for the nWCH or even a stadium.

It will allow shops, hotels, serviced apartments, residential buildings, a helipad, licensed venues, light industry, offices, pre-school, education facilities, convention centre, arena, medical suites, and a multistorey carpark. Multistorey development with the added surprise of land division, a usual preparation for land sales.

For over 150 years governments (of all types) to the delight of developers, have eyed the Adelaide Park Lands as an “under-developed” opportunity. Instead of helping maintain the value of legitimate development sites across the city, they find ways to get an easy deal by taking what is legislated, set aside and revered as a community asset.

Since the land was taken from the Kaurna owners it has been in colonial, state, or council control with the underlying condition that it was to be protected, reserved, and was never to be sold but kept for the enjoyment of the community.

Road works have eaten at the edges and the strip on North Terrace between the RAH sites has been permanently alienated, but never has anybody suggested the Riverbank become a development site or be subdivided.

Why would any government want to ruin our current National Heritage Listing, sabotage a future World Heritage Listing and cannibalise our greatest green recreational resource at a time when all communities are struggling to maintain well-being and good mental health?

It is hard to believe that this proposal is not driven by the opportunity to sell land for residential use  in North Adelaide or commercial uses in Thebarton. However, the metropolitan area has abundant underperforming commercial and industrial assets from Lonsdale to Gepps Cross, so the rush to carve up public land is for many investors , an unwelcome intervention in property values.

What our suburbs actually lack is open space for recreation and well-being. Not to mention the benefits of additional heat sinks and storm water detention.

Attempts to rapidly excise 10% of land from Park Lands protection looks a bit tricky. It is being prosecuted at high speed with no political mandate or social license

A truly unique, world class city doesn’t destroy its assets. Global cities don’t carve up, build over or sell off their iconic parks. Neither should Adelaide although interestingly those seeking to exploit our Park Lands seem convinced that our city is blessed with an endless supply of cheap inner-city green field sites.

Nothing is farther from the truth. Far from being a generously endowed garden city, Adelaide has been described as our nation’s most “park-poor” capital city. Adelaide has only 10% of land as public parks, compared with 20% in Melbourne, 40% in Perth and 57% in Sydney. A perhaps surprising comparison is that New York has levels of 27% and London 40%. Our policy makers should not be satisfied with the levels in Adelaide, and we would be better served by an aspiration to increase accessible public open space rather than a plan to reduce it.

Our City and its Park Lands belong to all South Australians, not just those residing in Adelaide. We expect our leaders to be custodians, not just land agents. In fact attempts to rapidly excise 10% of land  from Park Lands protection looks a bit tricky. It is being prosecuted at high speed with no political mandate or social license and in my view does little  credit to those involved.

I offer some constructive suggestions in the hope that the situation can be retrieved. Firstly, similar to  the Convention Centre, some development could happily sit over the rail yards which could accommodate the transport hub and SA Pathology, whilst adaptive reuse might enable greater benefit to be achieved at the SAPOL or Gaol site.

If the government must relocate the WCH and the motive is not a North Adelaide land sale for apartments, then a land swap could be achieved as occurred in Melbourne, at the Royal Children’s Hospital (Land) Act 2007. This would demonstrate good faith by a commitment to no overall loss of Adelaide Park Land.

As for that contentious Arena, serious consideration could be given to redevelopment on the land owned by the State at the Entertainment Centre or a joint venture precinct with adjacent large property owner.

However, the current proposal to excise land from Adelaide Park Lands protection should be scrapped and the Planning Department instructed that the State Government and the Opposition support the principles of protection and maintenance in the Adelaide Park Lands Act 2005, and will not contemplate land division in Adelaide Park Lands.

Dr Jane Lomax-Smith is a former Adelaide Lord Mayor and Labor minister.