First look at contentious Unley Oval fence plans
Unley Council has received design options for a permanent fence around Unley Oval, after some resident opposition to the plan.
Much of the southern half of Unley Oval is already enclosed by a fence, and the council is investigating extending the existing fence from Trimmer Terrace along Frederick Street and connecting with the lawn tennis facilities on Langham Terrace.
This comes after 55 per cent of Unley ratepayers who responded to a council survey did not support permanent fencing around Unley Oval last year.
The first designs were presented to elected members last week. The designs, seen by InDaily, show three options for fencing along Frederick Street.
Options one and two both have brickwork pillars. Option three has sliding fencing and garden beds incorporated into the design. This picture: Greenway Architects/via City of Unley
Option one is a permanent fence with gate openings and brick pillars that reflect the heritage of the oval, which is outlined to have a lower cost and easier maintenance but restrict access and impact the amenity of the oval.
A close-up of option one. This picture: Greenway Architects
Option two is a fence with brick pillars and temporary infill panels, which would have an ongoing cost, but maximises the access to the oval.
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A close-up of option two. This picture: Greenway Architects
Option three has permanent panels with regular openings, designed to align with the look of the oval’s new toilet block and plaza. It will require ongoing maintenance and change the amenity of Frederick Street but have easy access generally and on event days.
Option three has double-door sliding elements.
These options were informed by feedback the community gave the council last year about location, access, safety and aesthetics of the fence.
The council has not yet decided on a preferred design or whether a fence will be installed at all.
If the council select one of the three options to move forward with, the community will be consulted again about the chosen fence design before the council moves forward with erecting the fence.
The Unley Oval toilet block was due for an upgrade anyway, and is expected to cost about $1 million to provide a minimum of 10 toilets in the public facility. This picture: Greenway Architects/via Unley Council
The council received two petitions in August 2024, one with 1168 signatures in favour of investigating a fence and one with 1200 signatures against it.
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Of those in favour of the fence, just 18.17 per cent were local Unley residents. 81.87 per cent of locals made up the signatures on the petition against the fence.
The council’s initial consultation found 92 per cent of regular visitors to Unley who don’t live in the council area are supportive of a fence.
Councillor Jane Russo said her position remains that the council should investigate the options and whether the fence is a viable piece of infrastructure that can benefit the community.
“At the end of the day it’s about the investigation, not whether we should or shouldn’t have a fence, but what the fence and the value of the fence is to the community and when I talk about community, it’s not just the City of Unley, it’s South Australia because this is a regional facility,” Russo said.
“I need that information before I would make a final decision on whether we have a fence or not…I’m in support of the full investigation, the final decision of whether we actually go ahead with the designs will depend on the cost and things like that as well.”
Maps of Unley Oval with current temporary fencing indicated in red and proposed integrated fencing in blue. This picture: Greenway Architects/via City of Unley
Councillor Chris Crabbe, who voted against the investigation into fencing options last year, said his concerns are primarily around the costs of the fence designs and feedback from residents.
“I have serious reservations about progressing further with the design process for a fence around Unley Oval as the majority of local residents and ratepayers whom we consulted on this matter were against the proposal,” Crabbe said.
“What concerns me is that Council has already invested a significant amount of money in infrastructure improvements and returfing at Unley Oval in recent years, amounting to millions of dollars of ratepayers’ money, while there are other cultural, community and sporting facilities across the City of Unley which could benefit from the same level of attention and investment we have seen at Unley Oval.”
Temporary fencing is already in place on Frederick and Langham streets during games. This picture: Greenway Architects/via City of Unley
Unley Oval is currently home to Sturt Football Club which spends about $30,000 a year on temporary fencing for match days.
In a statement released last year, SANFL said the temporary fencing is “costly and unattractive”.
“We should be able to find an appropriate design solution that meets the needs of the Sturt Football Club on match days and the community at all other times,” the statement said.
A refined set of fencing designs will come back to Unley Council at a meeting by the end of the financial year, where elected members will vote on either selecting a design for public consultation or discontinuing the investigation for a permanent fence.