New home is just for starters

By Melissa Grant
PAKENHAM Auto Club now has a new base after civic leaders voted in favour to grant the group a recreational vehicle permit to use 134 hectares of council-owned land on McGregor Road.
Local motorsport fans, which had lobbied unsuccessfully for 21 years to have a place to call home, cheered on Monday night after councillors voted 4-3 to allow the group and Kooweerup and District Motorcycle Club to use the site for a recreational vehicle facility as part of a 12-month trial.
Pakenham Auto Club president John Hill said Monday night’s verdict was great for the club, which has 180 members.
But, he said he hoped council would continue to lobby hard for a regional facility.
“We’re pleased with the decision,” he said.
“But it’s obviously on a temporary basis and we’d be very pleased to see negotiations to continue with the State Government.”
Cardinia Shire mayor Bill Ronald said it was great that children living in the shire would now have access to a recreational and educational motorsports facility, but felt bad for generations who had missed out.
“It depresses me that those children have missed out on the opportunity of using council-owned land while council deliberated on a regional facility that may never come,” he said.
Bunyip Ward councillor Bill Pearson and Port Ward councillor Doug Hamilton both voted against the motion saying that too many issues hadn’t been addressed and that council was stepping outside of its existing recreational vehicle policy.
“This is just wrong… we have a recreational vehicle policy in place,” Cr Pearson said.
Ranges Ward councillor Graeme Legge, the third councillor to oppose the applications, said the operating times needed to be reduced from seven days to four considering that 12 objections had been formally lodged.
Nearby resident Stephanie Orsborn, who opposed the permits, said shorter operating hours would minimise how much the enjoyment of her land would be affected.
“If they’re going to be there all the time it is going to affect me,” she said.