The first steps have been taken to further develop the motor sports sector at North Goulburn, opening up the possibility of national and international events.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Councillors at their last meeting unanimously supported the preparation of a planning proposal to rezone land around the Goulburn Speedway from RU6 transition to RE2 private recreation. If approved it would allow Goulburn Motorcycle Club to hold larger and more frequent events and develop surrounding land for the motor sports industry, including go-karting and mountain bike riding.
The Club applied for the rezoning, arguing that Goulburn’s location was an instant drawcard for competitors and there was potential to increase the number and scale of events, including state titles and junior and senior national motocross meetings.
While the State Government still has to grant a gateway determination for the plan, the council is fully behind the move. General manager Warwick Bennett said the motor sports industry was one of three key areas targeted for further development in last year’s Employment Lands Strategy.
Read more
But the rezoning is also likely to raise objections from some surrounding residents. Several challenged the council’s 2013 decision to allow the club’s new track off Sydney Road. They contended that the facility should have been considered a major one, which was prohibited in the RU6 zone, rather than a ‘recreational (outdoor) development.’
Ultimately the legal challenge was unsuccessful but council planners acknowledged the definitions were still unclear. The current rezoning proposal would remove the possibility of challenge if the club or the speedway wanted to expand, planners said. Goulburn Motorcycle Club vice-president Andrew Rowlands says the time is ripe.
Work has been underway for six months constructing the new track. Mr Rowlands said some 23,000 cubic metres of dirt had been moved and more than 1000 man hours devoted by volunteers to build a 2.1km long main track and a 1km junior facility on land near the speedway. Semi-professional track builder, Mal Cash, from Tathra, has had considerable input. Mr Rowlands also praised Divall’s Earthmoving and club member Sam White for their efforts. The work is 90 per cent complete.
The Club has suffered a setback with news last week that it missed out on a NSW Sports Infrastructure Grant. It recently applied for $1.6 million to help build the track but also develop the motor sports industry around the area. It would have also allowed the club to purchase 26.1 hectares of land from a neighbour to expand the motopark facility.
“It’s very disappointing,” Mr Rowlands said.
“It’s a blow to us because it would have expedited construction...We initially thought the grant could be used for the Motorcycle Club but then took a broader view of the Crown land around there which already has mountain bike riding and other activities. We thought a professional person could rebuild a track, have something for go-karting and accommodate Legend Cars and the cycle club etc.”
He said the funding criteria changed six weeks before the grant application was due to be lodged. It now required a 25 per cent in-kind contribution. Motorcycling NSW was prepared to help.
“The reason they’re so helpful is that Goulburn will future proof motorcycling in NSW because most tracks in Sydney have urbanisation pressures and it’s only a matter of time before they close down,” Mr Rowlands said.
“The grant is fundamental to the sport because Goulburn is in such a great location and we can get competitors from Sydney, Canberra and the South Coast. There are multiple organisations in the sport that want to hold competitions at our track because it’s new and different.”
Williams Event Management, which runs the National Motocross Series, was looking for suitable venues and Mr Rowlands believed Goulburn would be an ideal location, if it had the facilities.
The Club is seeking clarification on why it missed out but will also explore other funding opportunities.
But Mr Rowlands is upbeat about the sector’s possibilities.
“If we get the rezoning through, it allows these larger events to happen. They need to happen for the sport and Goulburn; you can see what Wakefield Park has done for Goulburn in terms of filling motels and cafes. If we want to remain a vibrant regional area and attract people, we need to promote things ourselves,” he said.
Planners will explore issues such as noise, road access, traffic generation, bushfire risk and water quality impacts as part of the proposal. Councillors also waived $5200 in application and processing fees and the $140 per hour staff preparation fee for the proposal. Mr Bennett said this was reasonable given the club was a volunteer organisation.
He did not believe the council had a conflict of interest in assessing the proposal at the same time as pushing the motor sports sector in its Employment Lands Strategy.
“Council can’t have a conflict of interest under the legislation but individual councillors can. Waiving the fees is reasonable because I think this is a volunteer organisation that like all other sporting clubs, don’t have a lot of resources,” Mr Bennett said.
“We don’t see the work we’re required to do as onerous so I think it’s a reasonable stance for us to take.”
While you're with us…
Did you know The Goulburn Post is now offering breaking news alerts and a weekly email newsletter? Keep up-to-date with all the local news: sign up here.