Countless Benefits to the Area says Lobato Media Release
from Tammy Lobato MP Gembrook MP Tammy Lobato ,Chair of the
Regional Motorsports Committee (which includes councillors and
council officers), has said that the committee is committed to the
establishment of a regional motorsports facility. She said that
such a facility would bring countless benefits to the area as well
as providing for the needs of local motorsports enthusiasts. “As
the chair, I can state that our role is to find a site for
motorsports. The only question is where that site will be. We will
not be satisfied as a committee until the site is obtained and a
facility built. To claim, as Cr Lempriere has done, that the
McGregor Rd site has solved the issue is just wrong. “The site in
McGregor Rd only has a permit which allows 2 cars and 2 motorbikes
on the site at any one time. That is not meeting the needs of local
motorsports fans and it is plainly ridiculous to claim the issue
has been solved by the issuing a permit for that site,” Tammy said.
“We all know that four vehicles do not make a motorsports facility.
“I would urge Cr Lempriere to brush up on her facts and speak to
the many motorsports fans who voted for her because just last year
she backed the need for a top-class regional sports facility. It
would be extremely disappointing if upcoming council elections
meant her previous commitment was now being watered down. “The CAMS
(Confederation of Australian Motor Sport) report, commissioned by
the State Government, identified the south-east region of Melbourne
as one of the top two priority areas for a motorsports facility in
the state, along with Geelong,” she said. “This facility would be a
regional one and likely to attract state funding as well as other
sources of funding including sponsorship. In fact, the committee I
chair has already received many pledges of support because of the
popularity of the initiative. This facility would reap many
benefits for the Shire via the tourism and other spin-offs for the
area,” she said. “It would also mean that illegal use of
environmentally-sensitive areas for motorsports, including in the
Dandenong Ranges, as well as illegal riding in and around our
suburbs, would be reduced. People need an appropriate alternative
to ride their vehicles,” she said. Tammy said that the site off
Oakview Lane and bounded by the Pakenham Bypass and the railway
line was currently being assessed for its potential as a
motorsports facility site by the committee. “This land is owned by
VicRoads which has agreed not to sell or dispose of the land while
its suitability as a location for motorsports is being thoroughly
assessed,” she said. “If it were to get the go-ahead, the Oakview
Lane site would be nothing like the site in McGregor Rd as it would
be a proper regional facility capable of providing for both
recreational activities and educational activities for the three
types of motorsports: cars, motorbikes and go-karts, on a scale
which would allow for group activities,” she said. The late Peter
Brock visited Cardinia with the very aim of helping the development
of a motorsports facility. I remember his wise and measured words
on that occasion. There is no way that I, or anyone else on the
committee, is going to give up until our dream and the needs of so
many people are adequately met,” she said. Tammy added that because
the assessment of the site was still in its preliminary stages, the
committee had not yet discussed the proposal with the owners of the
neighbouring properties to the Oakview Lane site. She did say,
however, that since the piece of land was wedged between the
Pakenham Bypass and the railway line, it was not envisaged that
there would be any noise repercussions if a facility was built
there.