South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas has defended the decision to remove about 400 trees from Adelaide’s eastern parklands to make way for a new MotoGP circuit.

The 4.13-kilometre track, unveiled on Sunday, will run through Victoria Park between Wakefield Road and Rundle Road, with 400 trees set to be removed, including 42 classified as significant.

Malinauskas rejected claims he misled the public about the scale of the tree removal.

When the government first announced in February that MotoGP would move to Adelaide from Phillip Island, he said about 45 trees would need to be removed.

The government has since confirmed the figure is closer to 400, with another 88 trees to be relocated.

The premier said the difference reflected the design of the circuit being developed after the initial announcement.

The 88 trees being moved were assessed by arborists as trees that “we can safely move without being at great risk to those trees”.

The government has also promised to plant 10 trees for every tree removed, including some mature trees.

Malinauskas has defended the broader environmental measures attached to the project, which include $15 million for what the government describes as “nature positive” improvements to the Adelaide parklands.

The decision has nevertheless attracted criticism from environmental groups and the opposition.

Opposition Leader Ashton Hurn questioned “whether people would have changed their vote if they knew it was 400 trees”, while Greens MLC Melanie Selwood opposed the removal of the significant trees.

“Before the election we had the premier saying that it would be about 45 trees and now we know that that number has increased tenfold to 400,” Hurn said.

Hurn said while it was “somewhat true” the premier had won a mandate for the project, The Adelaide Parklands Association has also urged the government to listen to the results of a three-week public consultation before proceeding.

Malinauskas denied he was misleading the public, saying: “I simply recited what I was being told, and then we made clear that 45 number was significant trees, and of course now it’s 42 significant trees on the plan.”

The new circuit is expected to cost $96 million, with the cost of a temporary pit building yet to be confirmed.

The SA Motor Sport Board chief executive Mark Warren is appearing before a parliamentary committee on Monday as scrutiny of the project continues.

Image: SA Government