The Adelaide City Council says the State Government’s plans for the old Royal Adelaide Hospital site may be against the law.

Yesterday, Acting Premier John Rau announced the opening of the expressions of interest process for the site, saying the site presented opportunities for “residential, retail, hotel, commercial, health, education and cultural facilities”.

However, North Ward councillor Phillip Martin told InDaily this morning that allowing commercial and residential development on the site was akin to “selling off the parklands”, and was contrary to the Adelaide Parklands Act.

He said the State Government’s plans for the site do not “fit the definition of the legislation … which specifically (precludes) any development other than public infrastructure, from which there is a clear, derived benefit for South Australians”.

“We actually have a government that is no longer protecting the parklands, but has become, in effect, the enemy of the parklands,” he said.

“A large number of people … would rather see a development from which we all derive some benefit, rather than something that will produce a profit for a residential, retail, or general commercial structure.”

Rau told reporters yesterday that he expected any development of the site would open it up so that the public could walk through the site in all directions.

“It is essential that the planss provide a significant number of opportunities for people to live and work on the site,” he said.

He said the site “presents a once in a generation opportunity to create an internationally acclaimed mixed use precinct that is expected to generate estimated investment in excess of half a billion dollars in South Australia”.

He said development on the site would occur on a “long-term lease” basis.

However, Martin said he was concerned that none of the site would be returned to parklands.

“If there are to be open spaces between apartment blocks, it does not amount to a return of that land to parklands,” he said.

“It simply amounts to open spaces between commercial development.”

Adelaide City Council acting CEO David Chick told InDaily the council had not been properly consulted about the site, and that it had “serious concerns” about the Government’s approach.

He said that the Adelaide Parklands Act was “quite explicit: that the parklands are for the benefit and enjoyment of all South Australians”.

“It’ll be a question of what is appropriate according to the Parklands Act, and the role that the parklands plays for the benefit and enjoyment of all members of the South Australian community.”

Chick said that the council had been excluded from involvement in the redesign of the old RAH site since the conclusion of the design competition in 2013.

“There has been no real involvement until effectively today, when the expressions of interest (documents) have come out,” he said.

“There is a level of concern, and certainly, frustration, due to the lack of involvement within the process.”

Acting Planning Minister Stephen Mullighan told InDaily: “The redevelopment represents a great opportunity for Adelaide, and the Deputy Premier said yesterday that we see huge potential for the sit to integrate into the surrounding parklands”.

A council committee will tonight consider the State Government’s development plan amendment applications concerning, among other things, the proposed use of the Reid Building on Frome Road as a second city high school – and the latest version of the Government’s planned O-Bahn upgrade.

“There has been no real consultation regarding the school within the Reid Building either,” said Chick.

“There’s a whole level of detail that just has not been provided.”

The Reid Building – the State Government’s chosen site for a second city high school.