SA police horse mounted operations unit relocation expected to cost $90 million
Artist impressions of the new facilities to be built for the Mounted Operations Unit at Gepps Cross. (Supplied )
The South Australian government will spend $90 million relocating the state's police horse unit to a new location in Adelaide's northern suburbs.
Key points:
- The $90 million cost of moving the mounted operations unit was not previously known
- The unit is moving due to plans for a new hospital at its existing site
- A previous proposal for a new site in Adelaide's parklands was scrapped
The cost of the plan to move the mounted operations unit from its existing Thebarton site had not previously been revealed, but was confirmed by Treasurer Stephen Mullighan on Thursday night.
The new facility in Gepps Cross is set to be completed in mid 2024.
The government had originally planned to move the unit to another site in Adelaide's parklands but that proposal was abandoned following a significant public backlash.
The move from the existing Thebarton site is required because of plans to build the city's new Women's and Children's Hospital on that land.
The unit needs to move from the existing Thebarton site to make way for the new Women's and Children's Hospital. (ABC News: Ethan Rix )
The new facility will include 32 larger stables, an undercover area and also house the police's dog operation unit.
"Unlike the current site, Gepps Cross will meet the needs of police for decades to come," Mr Mullighan said.
"This will be a major modernising of the 107-year-old Thebarton barracks facility — into a brand new fit-for-purpose facility.
"It will meet the needs of the horses and South Australian police for the next 150 years."
Two other police services currently at the Thebarton site — which also need to be relocated — are expected to cost taxpayers a further $24.7 million.
The three projects are set to be looked at by Parliament's Public Works Committee in mid-September.
An initial plan to move the unit to Mirnu Wirra/Park 21 West in Adelaide's south parklands was scrapped. (ABC News)
The Gepps Cross site is the third chosen by the state government, after the initial proposed site in Adelaide's south parklands faced opposition from critics, including City of Adelaide Lord Mayor Jane Lomax-Smith.
The government then announced the unit would move to Adelaide Airport, however that site was later deemed unsuitable in part because SA Police raised concerns about potential PFAS contamination — something Mr Mullighan said the airport "furiously resists".
The move to Gepps Cross has been slammed by the police union, with the Police Association of South Australia's president, Mark Carroll, describing it as a "stupid idea".
"But this government buckled under the slight pressure put on by the Adelaide City Council because they didn't want to build in the parklands," he told ABC Radio Adelaide this morning.
"And now we find a price tag that all people in South Australia should be very concerned about.
"That money should be used in far better ways than trying to secure the seat of Adelaide."
Mark Carroll says "a third of current riders" would not move to Gepps Cross. (ABC News: Ben Pettitt)
Mr Carroll said relocating to the parklands would have cost $50 million, but Mr Mullighan said that was "simply incorrect".
"We were looking at sort of $80 to $90 million in the south parklands," he said.
Mr Carroll also said the move to Gepps Cross, north of Adelaide, would result in the loss of some police officers.
"We'll lose about a third of our current riders, they will not go to Gepps Cross," he said.
Mr Mullighan said he understood the move from the CBD to Gepps Cross would cause "inconvenience" to some staff but the facilities were being built to last SAPOL "for many many decades".
"We'll work with all staff to try and meet their concerns and try to alleviate those concerns where we can," he said.
Opposition spokesperson John Gardner said the government needed to explain why they have changed locations twice.
"This government is presiding over a complete mess," Mr Gardner said.
"Clearly this Gepps Cross location, this 'plan C' Gepps Cross location, is no better than any of the previous suggestions they had and I think the government has got a lot of explaining to do."