Lord Mayor Jane Lomax-Smith has welcomed a briefing from the State Government regarding the relocation of the hugely successful LIV Golf tournament to the North Adelaide Golf Course.
The briefing from Premier Peter Malinauskas has resulted in Council voting on Tuesday evening to authorise the Lord Mayor and the City of Adelaide Chief Executive Officer to begin formal negotiations to give the tournament a new home near the Adelaide CBD.
During the briefing on Monday night, the Premier detailed how the State Government wanted to move the LIV Golf tournament from the Grange Golf Club to the Council's publicly-owned and operated golf course in the Park Lands.
The Lord Mayor said the briefing provided elected members with a greater insight into the opportunities such an event will present for the city but also the complexities of developing the site.
"The Council has managed and invested in the golf course for more than 100 years and are the experts on its topography, drainage, biodiversity, heritage and soils," said the Lord Mayor.
"We now look forward to sharing our knowledge with the State Government to ensure the best possible outcome for the community."
The Lord Mayor said the Premier has already made it clear he is committed to the North Adelaide Golf Course remaining publicly owned and operated.
"The Premier has also assured us that any fencing will be temporary and would only relate to the staging of the tournament," said the Lord Mayor.
"Importantly, the Premier is also keen to see only a modest loss of significant trees.
"The City of Adelaide is committed to working closely with the Premier and his Government within the parameters of Council's adopted strategies and policies to achieve a mutually beneficial arrangement."
The Lord Mayor said she and the CEO would work with the State Government to develop a Memorandum of Understanding for a long-term lease for the Park Lands occupied by the golf course.
"I would also expect the MoU would stipulate that all costs related to the investigations and delivery of the proposed move of LIV Golf to the North Adelaide Golf Course will be borne by the State Government," said the Lord Mayor.
