By Cam Lucadou-Wells
Sandown Racecourse’s future redevelopment is being discussed by the owner and Greater Dandenong Council.
Both have stated there’s not yet been a formal application to rezone the famous venue that is home to horse track meets, Supercars racing and a variety of festivals and events.
But plans are believed to have been drawn up for a mix of high-rise apartments, town houses, homes, a medical centre and shops on the site.
The owner Melbourne Racing Club stated it had presented concept plans and technical information for the “future opportunity” but no final decision had been made.
“It is correct to state that MRC have been engaging with Council and other authorities such as VicRoads, Melbourne Water, the Victorian Planning Authority … regarding a future opportunity for Sandown,” MRC spokesperson Laura Golden said.
“This has included providing them with information to allow their comment, feedback and input.
“(This) is a normal part of any process leading up to a formal lodgement.
“We will continue current operations for the foreseeable future.”
According to council reports, councillors were given an update briefing on the “redevelopment” of Sandown on 3 September.
Greater Dandenong city planning director Jody Bosman said the MRC was working with council officers to develop a “planning framework”.
The MRC had advised that a “detailed community consultation process” will happen in the near future, Mr Bosman said.
The MRC and the council had been tight-lipped on the discussions until MRC member and former Greater Dandenong mayor Peter Brown revealed details of the redevelopment plan.
Mr Brown said the club’s committee and the council appeared to be “colluding” to present the racecourse’s closure as a “fait accomplit” to MRC members.
The track could be closed as early as 2020 – when car racing ends at Sandown, he said.
In September, Mr Brown unsuccessfully ran for a spot on the MRC committee on a platform of retaining the racecourse as its “jewel in the crown”.
“It is one of the most majestic race courses in Melbourne,” he said – citing its clear sightlines, track quality, fairness for all competitors and its general use by a range of groups.
The course had been bought and built in the 1960s as a buffer in case the club’s tenure at Caulfield was not renewed, Mr Brown said.
The MRC recently announced its Caulfield lease was renewed for another 65 years.
Speculation had been rife after Sandown was conspicuously overlooked as the new home of Caulfield’s training stables.
On 22 October, the State Government announced the facilities and horse trainers would instead be relocated to further-flung tracks in Cranbourne and Pakenham from mid-2020.
There was no mention of Sandown’s future in the $40 million joint initiative of the Government, Racing Victoria and the MRC.
