10 November 2010

As Published in the Portside Messenger (Adelaide SA) wrtiten by Tim Williams

CHARITIES and youth mentoring organisations are missing out because of stalled negotiations on a proposed motorsport park at Gillman, its backers say.

The Adelaide Motorplex consortium has fought for three years to buy or lease State Government land for the $100 million project, with the initial $25 million stage to include a race circuit, drag strip and business centre.

Consortium spokeswoman Anna Micheel said the complex could hold charity race days with the potential to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars. Organisations such as Teen Challenge and White Lion had indicated they wanted to use it to run programs for troubled youths.

Ms Micheel said the project was lost in red tape as the consortium was shuffled from one government department to the next (separate story).

The government’s freeze on plans for housing on the nearby Cheetham salt pans was helpful as it would eliminate noise concerns, she said. “We would have been able to manage the noise regardless but the government still had concerns over it,” Ms Micheel said.

The project’s first stage is tipped to create 200 construction jobs. It would be funded by the consortium, and has the backing of more than 500 Adelaide businesses.

Help push plan off start line

THE Adelaide Motorplex consortium has applied for a government case manager for its motorsport park plan, as its frustration grows over being stuck on the starting line for three years.

The case manager would ensure all relevant agencies can be “in the room at the same time”, consortium spokeswoman Anna Micheel said.

The move follows more than a dozen meetings with the Land Management Corporation and separate meetings with the departments of infrastructure, trade and economic development, recreation and sport, environment and primary industries and the Environment Protection Authority.

“There isn’t a department we haven’t been to,” she said.

“We’ve been on this wild goose chase so long.

“It’s a huge investment in this state and it’s only going to guarantee the government a huge boost through tourism … and job creation.”

LMC acting CEO Michael Buchan said “technical matters” needed to be resolved, but did not say what they were.