Tempers flare at ‘community forum’ for Motoland operators, Chuwar residents

Fierce debate erupted at a ‘community forum’ for members of the Chuwar community regarding noise complaints over Motoland as one resident claimed two people have attempted to take their own lives since the facility opened.

A Chuwar resident has claimed two of her fellow community members have attempted to take their own lives due to activity by a nearby controversial motocross facility, Motoland.

Dozens of people — including local residents, raceway operators, councillors Kate Kunzelmann and Russell Milligan, Mayor Teresa Harding, and federal Blair MP Shayne Neumann — attended a ‘community forum’ hosted by Ipswich City Council on the evening of Thursday, February 24.

Up to 60 people watched the online live stream of the forum at a time during the more-than-two-hour long proceedings.

The meeting followed months of complaints by Chuwar residents about excessive noise and dust emanating from the site which is in close proximity to their homes.

It was intended to provide a “safe and transparent” forum for people who were both pro and anti Motoland to express their views, but tensions quickly became heated.

Motoland officially opened at Chuwar in October last year and is open public holidays, weekends, and for special ride days and race day events. Picture: Website / Motoland

Chuwar resident Jennifer (who did not share her last name) told the room she was aware of more than 100 people who had been impacted by the dust, noise, excess traffic and rubbish produced by Motoland since it commenced operations in October last year.

“Several community members must leave their homes every weekend to get away from the noise,” she said.

“The health impacts are serious. People with stress disorders, autism, PTSD, and depression are affected.

“There are two known suicide attempts directly related to this ‘fun park’.”

A second Chuwar resident of 20 years said he often could not get to sleep until 2 or 3am due to excessive noise, despite his house being located 2km from the track.

“The poor people that live next to that track, they’re going insane. And it’s driving me insane as well,” he said.

“It’s nonsense.”

Landowner Motorcycling Queensland representatives told residents that their tenant’s — Motoland’s — use of the site was not exactly what they wanted either.

A Chuwar resident said that after a number of trees were cut down in the second half of last year, motocross tracks were visible from her bedroom window. Picture: Supplied

Motorcycling Queensland president and board chairman Russell Bentley said there had been “good consultation” with the former Ipswich City Council in 2015 and 2017 about moving the facility from the Chuwar site.

“Urban encroachment is there, full stop,” he said.

“We saw that, as a governing body, and we looked with (the) council (at) options.”

He said Motorcycling Queensland invested more than $200,000 in trying to make an alternative location at Willowbank work.

“It was going to cost in excess of $11 million to rehabilitate the land that was going to be leased from (Ipswich) City Council to make anything happen out there,” he said.

“So it’s not from Motorycling Queensland’s lack of trying that we are still at Tivoli.

“We’ve had two attempts at selling the land to developers to give us enough funds to get out of town. The first attempt was thwarted when the previous sacked council threw everything into disarray.”

People of all ages and skill levels currently use the Motoland facility. Picture: Supplied

He said their second attempt also failed due to state government changes.

“We were on a mission to get out of Tivoli and we haven’t been able to,” he said.

“All of the work that we’ve done, all of the money that’s been spent — and I’m now talking upwards of half a million dollars ...

“We have done whatever we can to make that site a saleable product to get out of town, and get somewhere else, and to make it happen. It hasn’t happened.”

Blair MP Shayne Neumann joined in on the debate, stating Ipswich City Council had “a lot to answer for” and had failed Chuwar residents.

The evening closed with discussion about potential solutions.

Both Blair MP Shayne Neumann and Ipswich Mayor Teresa Harding attended and spoke at the meeting.

Ipswich City Council issued an Environmental Protection Order (EPO) on December 15 last year and received a response — including a report prepared by consultants — from Motoland on January 24, which may allow it to enforce additional attenuation measures.

The council’s Environmental Health Manager Peter Clifton, who signed off on two EPOs, said on Thursday the next steps involved monitoring the impacts of operations at the Chuwar site.

“The first EPO was used to get the professional reports on where to move on,” Mr Clifton said.

“The second EPO, we used those reports to set the conditions.

“So in the second EPO you’ll find there are some hours of operation that we’re limiting motorbike noise, and maintenance work, and also the water truck.

“We’ve also asked for monitoring to be conducted over 18 months ... and if there’s a complaint or noncompliance we’ll use our own monitoring to determine what the levels were and if there was noncompliance.”