South Burnett council postpones decision on Ballogie motorsport park
A proposal to build an adventure and motorsport park on cattle grazing land has been held up by the South Burnett Council. FULL DETAILS:
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A proposed adventure and motorsport park at Ballogie has been put on hold while discussions around tight restrictions and noise pollution continue.
An application to develop a race track and speedway at Lewis Bluff Road was discussed at the May 21 meeting of South Burnett Regional Council.
The proposal is to build the track on a 512ha block of grazing land, with the track taking up less than one per cent of the entire site.
The development would include a racing track, camping grounds, spectator seating, and 2550 parking spaces.
The applicant, Triple R Motorsports, has proposed holding 13 major events a year.
According to the meeting agenda, council staff recommended to refuse the development based on factors that included noise concerns and accessing health care in such a remote location.
However, several councillors spoke in support of the development with the belief that it would ultimately benefit the region.
Councillor Jane Erkens said developments like this improved the “economic income” in the area and that it was important for the council to encourage business growth and new developments.
“I feel that as a council, what we want to do is encourage development and people to our area,” Ms Erkens said.
“You only have to drive past or if you attend the speedway in Kingaroy to see how many that actually brings to our area.”
She said that at recent community meetings, many people said “we want something for young people” and a venue like this could encourage young people to get into motorsports and join a local club, instead of hanging out at the local pubs.
The facility has been in the works for a number of years, with the council requesting additional information from the applicant in July 2022, and public notification was sought between April and May last year.
The proposal garnered a mixed reaction from residents, with 14 “properly made” public submissions received by council objecting to the development and 20 in support.
Those in favour of the racetrack said they supported the development because they felt it would be beneficial to community by providing events and employment, with one person saying a local track would be “an excellent family fun activity”.
Environmental impacts were a concern for residents against the development, with many submissions noting concerns around air pollution, increased carbon footprint and the negative impact on flora and fauna.
Multiple critics cited the significant fire risks associated with racing, with one person saying the “increased pressure on rural brigades in the area (was) unacceptable”.
One person said nearby residents would be negatively impacted by disrupted sleep, decreased quality of life due to noise pollution and decreased property values.
Others said the current roads infrastructure would not handle the increased traffic, and they were concerned about how this would impact rate payers.
“There is no supporting infrastructure to support such a pipe dream and (it) will damage infrastructure, placing more pressure on our council and (residents) left to carry the bill for out-of-towners’ fun,” one person wrote.
The council decided to table the application until a future meeting, giving staff more time to look into the recommended restrictions.
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