(ACT) Report released on dragway

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Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation, Andrew Barr, today announced that an extensive report into the environmental and financial viability of a dragway in the ACT has raised significant concerns with the Majura site.

The report said the development of a facility would be unlikely to meet applicable environmental noise criteria and likely to require substantial additional financial contribution by Government beyond the $8 million already set aside in the Budget.

"The Stanhope Government is supportive of re-establishing a dragway in the ACT, following the ceasing of the previous facility in 1998, but the report to government - based on a thorough evaluation - has indicated significant challenges arising from the Majura site," Mr Barr said.

"As a result, the Government believes establishing a dragway at the Majura site is not feasible."

Mr Barr said the evaluation included the completion of the first stage of a statutory environmental assessment under the Land (Planning and Environment) Act 1991, and detailed financial assessments of the likely development costs and operational viability of a possible facility. It also considered the draft Dragway Motor Sports Environmental Protection Policy (draft EPP) released for public comment by the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) earlier this year.

"The detailed noise evaluation indicates that the facility would struggle to meet applicable environmental noise criteria required to satisfactorily protect the properties adjacent to the proposed facility. This would be the case even if the draft EPP noise standards were relaxed, as proposed by CIDM, on the basis that levels of noise experienced within the airport corridor justify such changes.

"The assessment in the report also indicates that a dragway would not be able to practically meet the requirements of the draft Environmental Protection Policy, released for public discussion by the Environmental Protection Authority early this year.

"The investigations suggest that it would not be a practical or sound financial option to effect sufficient noise mitigation measures if the noise standards proposed under the draft dragway EPP were applied.

"Detailed technical work undertaken also suggests the facility will require additional funding of up to $3.2million, beyond the $8 million already committed by the Government."

Mr Barr said the ACT Government has now exhausted all land options and would be writing to the Australian Government to request that they re-lease the former dragway site.

"The former site was taken back by the Commonwealth Government in 1998. At the time they cited a need for the land," he said.

"Eight years later nothing has been built on the land and it is not being utilised at all. Seeing that we have exhausted all other land options, we will now be asking the Australian Government to again grant a lease on that land for a dragway.

"If a lease is granted, the ACT Government will commit funds for the re-establishment of a dragway for the ACT."

For more information, including the report to government, please visit www.tams.act.gov.au