MORETON

Racing to be suspended at southeast Queensland track

Alan Quinney, Pine Rivers Press

October 24, 2018 MOTOR racing at Lakeside Park, Kurwongbah, will be suspended from the end of the year over complaints about noise levels, but Queensland Raceways (QR) is prepared to go to court.

QR chief executive John Tetley said in a statement posted on Facebook on Tuesday he believed that Moreton Bay Regional Council was under pressure from the Ombudsman to enforce to the fullest extent of the law as a result of pressure from “two continual vexatious complainers.”

Mr Tetley said QR had received fines totalling $29,100 since August which had led to the decision to suspend racing from next year.

“We have declared our intention to fight these fines in court and have engaged lawyers and acoustic engineers to assemble the case against the current breaches and mount the case,” he said.

Mayor Allan Sutherland and John Tetley at Lakeside Raceway in 2009.

A spokesman from Moreton Bay Regional Council said it was the operator’s responsibility to comply with legislative requirements.

“The best way to avoid a fine is to abide by the rules,” he said.

In 2015 the Queensland Ombudsman said the council’s noise control had failed residents in the Lakeside area.

“Since then Council has installed noise meters at two residential properties to assess compliance and a noise meter on track to inform the operator,” the spokesman said.

“Fines are only issued when the noise levels from the raceway exceeds permitted levels.”

Events planned for the rest of 2018 will go ahead with other activities such as sprints, theme days and practice to still go ahead as normal next year.

“We are not closing Lakeside down, we have had to implement a suspension of racing activities until the bureaucrats and Moreton Bay Regional Council provide the protection that a community asset like Lakeside deserves — both morally and legally,” Mr Tetley said. He said the issue was that racetracks were not recognised as a “sports grounds” and therefore had to adhere to a lower decibel level.

“As a sports ground Lakeside would be permitted a sound level of Leq15 of 75 A-weighted decibels, Db (A), but as an outdoor entertainment venue, Lakeside is only permitted an Leq15 of 70dB (A),” he said.

Mr Tetley said people wanting to see a resumption of racing at Lakeside should contact councillors and Members of Parliament.

Moreton Bay Regional Council was contacted for comment.