Darwin council decides against Bagot Park velodrome upgrades despite $2.5m windfall

THE NT Government has left Darwin council a $2.5 million windfall to upgrade the Bagot Park velodrome. But council last night decided not to use it

$2.5 million has been left to Darwin council to re-beautify and refurbish the Bagot Park velodrome.

• Bagot Park velodrome canned as Cycling NT gives $10.5 million back to NT Government
• Darwin velodrome’s $1.5m upgrade dubbed a Band-Aid solution by cycling body

CHIEF Minister Michael Gunner has left Darwin council $2.5 million to re-beautify and upgrade the Darwin velodrome in its current state.

But Darwin council last night decided at its council meeting not to proceed with any upgrades, pending legal and financial advice.

Lord Mayor Kon Vatskalis said he wanted to fix a bureaucratic blunder which saw plans drawn for the Bagot Park velodrome redevelopment which did not fit the needs of the NT cycling community.

“We will not go ahead with it until we have talked to the cycling team to find out what they want and then we will go to the Government to see how we can deliver it,” he said.

“We need to deliver what the community wants. (The funding) is gong to be parked until we finalise discussions with the cycling community.”

Mr Vatskalis said he still thought council was the right body to lead the project.

“What’s the point of a velodrome if it’s not going to satisfy the needs of the cycling team,” he said.

“We can deliver the velodrome, and we know how to do it, but obviously something has gone wrong and I will get to the bottom of it because I am not happy with what has happened.”

It comes after a $10.5 million NT Government grant to redevelop the Bagot Rd facility was rejected by Cycling NT.

Cycling NT decided to reject the funds after council’s plans for the redevelopment were deemed insufficient.

The letter from Cycling NT said: “We are writing to request the Minister(s) intervene to call an urgent halt to the project and for the redirection of current funds back to the NTG.”

Earlier Cycling NT chief executive Mark Heath told the NT News the sports body would now look to work with the Northern Territory Government to find a new location.

“I don’t think Bagot Park is on our radar at this stage unless council can offer something that will be successful for us,” he said.

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“We’ve asked the government to take back the money so we can work with DIPL (the Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Logistics) to find crown land or even land in Palmerston somewhere.”

The remaining $8 million has been returned to the Northern Territory Government.

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