Nearly 400 trees will be removed in Adelaide’s eastern parklands to make way for a new MotoGP street circuit costing $96 million, the South Australian government has revealed.
Premier Peter Malinauskas has unveiled the design for a 4.13 kilometre-long circuit that is set to host MotoGP from November 2027.
The Tour Down Under would also race on the track from January 2028, the government announced.
The circuit redesign would see 42 significant trees felled, along with a further 335 of what the government has categorised as “regulated, unregulated, invasive, dead or poor health” trees.
A further 88 trees would be relocated while another 22 were “under investigation”, the premier said.
Mr Malinauskas said trees would be replaced on a 10 to 1 basis, meaning 3,770 trees would be planted.
An artist’s impression of the MotoGP racing circuit in Adelaide. (Supplied)
The government would also procure a new temporary pit building, rather than a permanent building.
The premier said there had been some “conjecture” about a permanent building but admitted the government “did look at the options”.
Prior to the release of the plans, there had been protests about tree loss, with more than 43,000 people signing a petition calling for a halt to works.
“I don’t think this will stop the protests, I mean, people are entitled to protest against it regardless,” Mr Malinauskas said.
“But what it does do is makes it very clear that this government is committed to investing in our parklands.”
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