Wye residents against motocross development

ONGOING: The Mount Gambier Junior Motorcycle Club is still hopeful they will be provided with a long-term lease to use the land. Picture: File.

Elsie Adamo

AT Grant District Council’s meeting last week, Wye residents reaffirmed their opposition to a proposed motocross development.

Resident Tim Collins made a deputation to council, on behalf of what he said was the majority of Wye residents, expressing his disappointment with the proposal planned to be developed on Forestry SA land.

An application by Mount Gambier Junior Motorcycle Club Inc to develop a parcel of land on Cameron Road to use as a motocross track, clubrooms and campgrounds was lodged in August last year and is currently under assessment.

The club does not currently have permanent grounds.

Opposition from nearby residents has been ongoing since the development application was first lodged.

Mr Collins’s deputation focused on the impacts he believed the development would have on the land proposed and the surrounding area.

He claimed the development would significantly impact long-term revegetation efforts on the land and disrupt native wildlife.

These concerns were raised during public consultation but Mr Collins said he and the residents wanted to continue to be proactive in their opposition to the development.

“We still remain concerned that it is still being considered,” he said.

“We are a bit surprised that a government entity like Forestry SA is even talking with a group about building something on top of an active wombat colony.

“Because of that, we decided we will keep engaged with the process.”

At the end of the meeting Councillor Barry Kuhl expressed concern that the deputation gave false hope to residents as council could not intervene in the matter.

Cr Kuhl had excused himself from the deputation due to his role on the assessment panel so was not present for Mr Collins’s presentation.

There was a discussion among the councillors on whether deputations about matters Council could not be involved in were helpful to residents or the councillors.

Mr Collins said that at least on his matter, he was clear that the Council would not be able to actively help, but it was important they were aware.

“The whole point of the deputation was just to inform council,” he said.

“We acknowledge their role in the process is quite minimal, so it is really just bringing them up to speed.

“We thought telling the entire council what is happening in their council area is a good thing.”