Revved up: Barrabool residents Heather Wellington and Marie and John George.
Erin Pearson
MOTORCYCLING Australia is drawing up new usage plans for its regional motocross facility at Barrabool as objecting residents claim tests have proven its noise will blast them indoors.
Surf Coast Shire sustainable communities director Dennis Barker said staff had met Motorcycling Australia representatives twice about the organisation’s new plan for Barrabool’s McAdam Park as part of a review.
Mr Barker was confident the plan could be “revised to achieve a better outcome”.
“The current plan was implemented five years ago and Motorcycling Australia is going to re-look at its usage,” he said.
“McAdam Park is a valuable recreational facility which has existing rights under the Surf Coast Shire planning scheme.”
Motorcycling Australia chief executive officer David White said the body would seek to establish a new agreement satisfy the shire and neighboring residents.
“We’ve put some suggestions to the residents group out there about usage and we’re working though the issues,” he said.
“The aim is to come up with an end result that’s acceptable to all parties. If we can provide a better facility for members then that’s great.”
Mr White said the venue was operating four days a week compared to its previous seven-day opening hours.
The association wanted to provide a “multi-use facility”, he said.
Fire risks force closure of the track in January and February, with noise restrictions on events during the rest of the year.
But Barrabool Rural Protection Group’s Heather Wellington said independent noise testing revealed a competitive event in July produced levels “four times” louder than the acceptable threshold.
She compared the sound to World Cup vuvezelas.
“On some days when there is a competitive event the noise is so loud that people literally cannot work or socialise outside.”
Ms Wellington accused Surf Coast Shire of “plowing ahead” without running their own noise analysis.
Neighbours feared noise pollution would increase as the track attracted additional national events, she said.
