Plans for a BMX track at the Salt Ash equestrian grounds were officially scrapped at the Port Stephens Council meeting on Tuesday but they’re not dead.
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The council has instead voted to build the track on Michael Drive, next to the Salt Ash Hall.
“This has been a real debacle and it’s given a lot of people a lot of angst,” Cr Geoff Dingle said.
“It’s cost $200,000. It’s a shame we spent a lot of money only now to agree the site was high risk.”
The site had been the subject of a NSW Environmental Protection Authority clean up order after soil deposited at the site was found to contain acid sulfate soil.
At the same time the council was ordered to pay a $45,000 fine for depositing the material there unlawfully. The council’s consultant Cardno Pty Ltd was fined $16,000 for supplying false and misleading information about the waste’s composition.
The original plans had raised safety concerns among the horse fraternity, the sport being at odds with horses easily spooked.
“The way we went about this was really disgusting,” Cr Dingle said.
The council’s asset manager John Maretich prepared a brief report for councillors to consider on Tuesday for a change in location.
“The Salt Ash BMX track was allocated monies at the council meeting August 12, 2014 and November 11, 2015, and resolved to build the BMX track through the council meeting October 27, 2015,” he wrote.
“Following usual project management practices the detailed design phase of the project has highlighted that some of the safer by design principles may not be met if the BMX track is built at the Salt Ash Sportsground Complex location.
“Building the BMX track at another location such as on the parcel of land adjacent to the Salt Ash Hall on Michael Drive, would satisfy the safer by design principles.”
Port Stephens MP Kate Washington took to Twitter to air her disgust with the turn of events.
“After how much ratepayer [dollars] wasted on council's illegal dumping at Salt Ash Pony Club? Seriously. Tell us how much,” she wrote.
The mater came toward the end of the council meeting with 900 pages of business.
“We have a situation where contaminated soil was allowed to be dumped at a family friendly venue, with no notification, no DA and no accountability,” Ms Washington said.
The council now enters caretaker mode before the September 9 election.
Cr MacKenzie did not speak to the motion on Tuesday night.
