Save Wakefield Park
Petitioner:
Mrs Jessica Nicholson
| Member:
Finn, Julia
| No. of Signatories:
28,950
| Date closed:
28/10/2022
To the Speaker and Members of the Legislative Assembly,
We, the NSW motorsport community and residents & businesses of the Goulburn region and wider NSW, bring to the attention of the House the devastating impact resulting from the closure of Wakefield Park Raceway (WPR) on 1/09/2022.
Background:
Due to an unfavorable Development Application outcome, the owners of WPR went to the NSW Land & Environment Court which then handed down a decision that made it untenable for WPR to remain open.
Concern:
• A forecast economic loss for the Goulburn region in the order of $15-30 million p.a. and the loss of one of only two permanent, full-length racetracks in NSW. The closure of WPR will also result in additional economic losses for the State and nationally.
• NSW has lost an important facility for teaching road and driver safety
• The LEC's decision has devastated motorsport enthusiasts, Goulburn-Mulwaree business owners, and the broader community who consider WPR the 'lifeblood' of Goulburn.
We, therefore, ask the Legislative Assembly, and specifically the Minister of Planning, to:
1. work together with the proponent and Goulburn-Mulwaree Council for the benefit of the entire community to establish a viable, interim solution which allows WPR to reopen as soon as possible, and
2. use Ministerial powers to identify suitable, long-term options to reinstate and protect WPR’s future as a viable motor racing circuit for the people of NSW and Australia as soon as possible
