MAYOR Jess Jennings says vacant land at the foot of Mount Panorama is not big enough for two sporting facilities amid questions over whether it will become the home of the greyhound racing Centre of Excellence.
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The site in question, adjacent to the former Bathurst drive-in, is already proposed to be used for the long-awaited go-kart track.
Bathurst Regional Council has prepared a development application (DA) for the project and lodged it on October 25, 2023, but the application has not been accepted at this stage.
It has since emerged that the same land is being considered for the greyhound racing Centre of Excellence, a $15 million facility that could replace the Bathurst track that was destroyed by flooding in November, 2022.
Member for Bathurst Paul Toole suggested the site, and council has since reached out to Greyhound Racing NSW to gauge the body's interest in the land and discuss the potential for it to house the Centre of Excellence.
Greyhound Racing NSW believes it is possible for a greyhound facility and the go-kart track to coexist.
Council is waiting to receive detailed criteria from Greyhound Racing NSW to assess the suitability of the site and make an informed decision, but, for now, Cr Jennings isn't convinced two sporting facilities can occupy that site.
"Until [the criteria is] provided, it's very hard to say conclusively, but the other thing, in the interim council has researched the prospects of both fitting in that space and we believe there's simply not enough physical room," he said.
"So, the criteria may not be that important in the end, but we do need to see that before we can say comprehensively that it's not a goer."
When pressed further about the size constraints of the site, Cr Jennings reaffirmed it would have to be either the go-kart track or the greyhounds facility, not both.
"For that site, it's an either/or, but bear in mind that that's still not the only site in Bathurst that the greyhound facility could potentially go," he said.
When asked if council would sacrifice the go-kart track to get the Centre of Excellence, Cr Jennings said it would be a matter for the council to determine at a later date.
"That's a decision for the council to make in the future," he said.
"Obviously, this has been put on the table, sort of came out of left field with Paul Toole's suggestion to look at hosting them together like that.
"At this point in time, our current position is that the kart DA has been lodged and we're looking forward to community feedback on that and see how it goes in the ultimate test of a development application [determined] by an independent body.
"The question [the Western Advocate] asked is one that council will have to consider in due course, or not, as it chooses. It's one for the full council, in that sense."
The go-kart track DA will be assessed by independent experts engaged by council, a process that will commence after the DA has been accepted.
As for other sites in Bathurst that could house the Centre of Excellence, Cr Jennings said a list of over a dozen was put forward initially, and that has since been whittled down to a smaller number.
Based on his discussions, he thinks a decision on a location, whether that be in Bathurst or elsewhere, could be made in the next three to six months.
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Rachel Chamberlain
I have been a journalist at the Western Advocate since 2014.
I have been a journalist at the Western Advocate since 2014.
