by Cam Lucadou-Wells
The full redevelopment of Sandown Racecourse appears to be scuttled, after a successful board coup at Melbourne Racing Club.
The ‘Save Our MRC’ group has taken the reins of the board, with the election of new chairperson John Kanga on Thursday 3 October.
The group is in favour of the retention of racing and oppose the full sell-off of Sandown.
It means a halt to the MRC’s controversial proposal to rezone the 112-hectare horse and motor-racing facility for a 7500-home residential estate.
The new board is expected to instead sell “surplus” land – possibly in the south-west corner for housing – to help clear the MRC’s mounting debts.
The partial sell-off wouldn’t impact on racing at the iconic race-course.
Keysborough Ward council election candidate Peter Brown is part of the Save Our MRC group and also intends to run for a spot on the MRC board.
“It’s a terrific result,” he says.
Aside from retaining racing, it would save a “linear park” of River Red Gums, which would have made way for a widened Corrigan Road.
Despite embarking on a protracted rezoning process, MRC has consistently stated that the project wouldn’t go ahead without a members’ vote.
“They didn’t go to the members first (before applying for the rezoning) because the members would have told them to nick off,” Brown said.
“The then-board leadership tried to instead later present members with a fait accompli with Sandown and the $250 million Grand Pavilion at Caulfield.”
Earlier this year, Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny ‘called in’ the rezoning for consideration by a planning panel, the Sandown Racecourse Advisory Committee.
The SRAC recently held a month of hearings and will present its recommendations to the Minister within weeks.
The Minister’s decision poses a “critical” issue, Brown said.
If the Planning Minister rezones the site, the MRC would be faced with a “contingent liability” of about $6 million a year in additional council rates.
“The Government has skin in the outcome,” Brown says – given its housing targets and need for revenue.
“But it’s our club. The Minister cannot force the club to sell the land.”
Additionally, the club was expected to be billed for the costs of the planning panel process, he said.
This is on top of its “mountain” of debts soaring from $80 million to $154 million in the past year
The MRC had heavily borrowed, based on expected rises in property values at Sandown, Brown said.
Springvale North Ward candidate and ALP member Sean O’Reilly says the community was “split” on Sandown’s future.
“I have received phone calls from residents at all hours of the day, complaining about the noise from car racing events.
“On the other hand, some residents were open to the idea of redevelopment, provided that the Victorian Government commits to upgrading the surrounding road infrastructure to handle the increased traffic flow.”
At the panel hearings, the council had raised significant concerns, particularly flood risks from Mile Creek and Police Road main drain, O’Reilly said.
Springvale North Ward candidate Angela Holl, who lives near Sandown, was opposed to the redevelopment.
“It’s a special site that should be preserved. I am worried about the impacts on residents if it’s developed.
“If it goes ahead, I want to make sure diverse communities are told in their languages what is happening.”
Melbourne Racing Club has been contacted for comment.
