The unveiling of the new Adelaide MotoGP circuit for 2027 has triggered fresh controversy after plans confirmed that nearly 400 trees will be removed from the South Australian capital’s eastern parklands. The $96 million street circuit is intended to bring MotoGP into the heart of Adelaide, but its environmental impact has already divided politicians, conservation groups and local authorities.
The debate also raises broader questions for Liberty Media, which owns both Formula 1 and MotoGP and has repeatedly highlighted sustainability as part of its motorsport strategy. As Liberty Media continues to expand Formula 1’s global reach, the Adelaide project provides a striking test of how commercial growth and environmental commitments can coexist.
Adelaide MotoGP circuit planned for 2027
The South Australian government has revealed details of a $96 million city-centre circuit that is due to host MotoGP from November 2027. The layout will measure 4.13 kilometres and revive several elements of Adelaide’s historic Formula 1 circuit, including the straight along Rundle Road and a corner close to the Stag Hotel, a building listed on the state heritage register.
The new configuration will feature 15 corners, one more than the current layout, along with a 900-metre straight on Dequetteville Terrace. MotoGP bikes are expected to reach speeds of up to 343 km/h.
The same circuit will also be used by the Tour Down Under from January 2028 and by the Adelaide 500, which is expected to take place around ten days after the motorcycle event. The government estimates that the project could generate an annual economic benefit of $200 million.
Nearly 400 trees to be removed from Adelaide parklands
The redevelopment will involve the removal of almost 400 trees from Adelaide’s eastern parklands. The plans call for 42 significant trees to be felled, along with another 335 trees classified as regulated, unregulated, invasive, dead or in poor condition.
A further 88 trees will be transplanted, while another 22 remain under assessment, 15 of which are considered significant. Most of the tree removals will take place between Wakefield Road and Bartels Road.
South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas said every tree removed would be replaced at a ratio of ten to one, resulting in 3,770 new plantings.
“I don’t think this will stop the protests, people are entitled to protest regardless. But what it does do is make it very clear that this government is committed to investing in our parklands,” Peter Malinauskas said.
Political divisions over the $96m MotoGP project
The $96 million budget does not include the cost of the new pit building, which will be temporary rather than permanent. Peter Malinauskas admitted that the government had also considered constructing a permanent facility, but ultimately opted for a temporary solution following internal discussions.
A separate $15 million initiative, called the Adelaide Park Lands Nature Positive Package, has also been announced. It was developed in collaboration with the Conservation Council of SA.
The funding will be used to increase tree canopy cover, restore butterfly habitats and revitalise the River Torrens, including new water infrastructure designed to support the reintroduction of the platypus.
Other redevelopment work is planned across the area. This includes the renovation of a football pitch in front of Victoria Park’s historic grandstand, a continuous 1.2-kilometre cycling route and a five-kilometre pedestrian loop. New water and electricity infrastructure will also be installed for Adelaide Fringe Festival events.
Conservation Council calls outcome ‘bittersweet’
Kirsty Bevan, chief executive of the Conservation Council SA, described the outcome as “bittersweet”. She said she was “deeply saddened” by the loss of the 42 significant trees, which she believes “will change the look of our parklands”.
Kirsty Bevan explained that the organisation’s main request had been for the circuit to be moved out of the city to an existing facility at Tailem Bend. That possibility, however, was never seriously considered.
At the same time, she acknowledged that investment in nature and biodiversity within the urban environment would reach an unprecedented level.
“I think we’ve reached a nature positive outcome,” she said.
Adelaide mayor warns of major change to the parklands
Adelaide Lord Mayor Jane Lomax-Smith said that “the devil is always in the detail”. Although she acknowledged that organisers had attempted to minimise the impact of the development, she reiterated that placing a racing circuit in the centre of the city, and particularly within the parklands, remained problematic.
Jane Lomax-Smith warned that there would be “a substantial change to the nature of our parklands”, including a significant increase in paved surfaces.
Peter Malinauskas explained that Adelaide City Council had not yet received a detailed briefing on the project, although it was already aware of some elements. He expressed hope that the two authorities could work together, describing the council as a custodian of the city in the same way as the state government. Jane Lomax-Smith confirmed that a briefing was expected within the following 24 hours.
Public consultation questioned as construction approaches
Liberal MP Jack Batty, who took part in a recent demonstration against the tree removals, questioned how meaningful the public consultation could be. The consultation is scheduled to run from Monday until September 20, while construction work is expected to begin in December.
“How on earth can we have a period of genuine consultation when the bulldozers are already scheduled to fire up?” Jack Batty asked.
The government has nevertheless maintained that it is genuinely interested in the feedback it receives during the consultation process.
Liberty Media’s environmental approach raises questions
The controversy forms part of a much broader and increasingly uncomfortable debate. Liberty Media, owner of both Formula 1 and MotoGP, continues to promote sustainability initiatives, including carbon-neutrality targets, hybrid power units and efforts to reduce emissions.
Formula 1 has spent years positioning new technology as part of that environmental transition. The sport has pursued increasingly ambitious hybridisation and sustainable-fuel targets, while future power units have been shaped around improved efficiency and a greater electrical contribution. The evolution reflects a long-running effort to make Formula 1 technology more environmentally sustainable, while the championship’s next-generation engine regulations have also placed significant emphasis on electrification and the future of F1 power units.
Yet the Adelaide project exposes the tension between that environmental messaging and the commercial expansion of global motorsport. While executives promote the idea of greener racing, hundreds of trees are set to be removed and more public green space converted into infrastructure to accommodate another major motorsport event.
The ten-for-one tree replacement programme and the accompanying $15 million environmental package are intended to compensate for that impact, and conservation groups have acknowledged the scale of the new investment in biodiversity. Even so, replacing established trees with new plantings does not immediately reproduce the same urban environment that is being removed.
That is where criticism of Liberty Media’s environmental image becomes particularly difficult to ignore. Sustainability campaigns, cleaner technology and emissions targets can coexist with commercial growth, but major projects such as Adelaide inevitably raise questions about where the balance is drawn.
Planting thousands of new trees and describing the overall project as “nature positive” may help offset part of the impact, but it does not erase concerns over the destruction of established green spaces. The risk is that environmental commitments become a convenient façade for relentless commercial expansion, while local communities are left to deal with consequences that could extend to future generations.
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