The Melbourne Racing Club is at it again – acting as if it is their god given right to do whatever they want on public land, whenever they want, and without any concern for nearby residents. This time they want a ‘timing system’ which involves the erection of 31 radio towers (height 13 metres) scattered across the racecourse and costing, they claim, $570,000. Naturally, the Department (as land manager) has given its approval (see uploaded letter here).
Throughout the application there is not a single word about environmental impacts nor potential safety concerns for residents – nor for that matter horses! Instead there is repetition upon repetition claiming ‘non-significant impact on the visual amenity of the area’. One paragraph in particular caught our attention –
3 antennas are proposed within the centre of the reserve and will be located directly adjacent to the track and existing infrastructure. The location of these antennas will ensure that the visual impact is minimal and the use of the public open space area remains unaffected.
Yes, 13 metre high poles of steel are certainly compatible with visual amenity and ball sports that council is advocating. Another nail in the coffin for more public open space if this goes ahead!
Here is what the poles will look like and where it is proposed they will go!
PS: please note that the heights will exceed 13 metres, since this calculation does not take into account the footings upon which the poles will rest.
Glen Eira Debates 
August 11, 2015 at 10:25 AM
no word of whether there is any lease in existence to do this!
August 11, 2015 at 2:22 PM
Council should book a permanent spot with Vcat in relation to all of these applications. It looks good when councillors refuse the applications and then in the privacy of their “mediations” council rolls over and asks how high do you want me to jump?
Common sense also dictates that the club is not about to roll over on allowing council to have baseball, soccer and basketball courts in the centre. Impracticable to begin with by council, and never had a hope of getting up. Now with this application there is even less hope. I can just see the Melbourne Racing Club taking kindly to its towers with baseballs being hit all over the place. On the trustees they are non existent and our great white hopes of Lipshutz Hyams and Esakoff keep on keeping their traps shut.
August 11, 2015 at 4:09 PM
MRC doesn’t own this land, doesn’t even lease most of it. DSE/DEPI/DTLPI/DELWP or whatever it calls itself this week was heavily criticised by VAGO for its lack of oversight of the racecourse reserve, as were the trustees. Almost a year on, there hasn’t been an official response from the Government. Lisa Neville has gone missing. None of the recommendations in the VAGO report have been implemented. There has been no reporting of the steps being taken to improve management and oversight. Instead MRC with support and encouragement from the “public land manager” seek to alienate people from their own land by placing MRC’s commercial activities above all other considerations.
A prudent step would be to declare a moratorium on development at the reserve until a new management regime has been put in place with clear principles and objectives established for the ongoing management. The CEO and the councillors who are trustees should declare conflict of interest on any matter involving the MRC as well.
August 11, 2015 at 6:22 PM
Talking with another resident today they pointed out a very interesting thing about the agenda. There are 3 pages on the crap report about border fences and only half a page on the mrc and their letter basically saying get lost. I want to know where’s the council outrage? Guess that if you’ve been on their side from the beginning its a bit hard to start throwing stones at this late stage.
August 11, 2015 at 8:27 PM
Should make it that Councillors who are trustees should not accept hospitality from the MRC. The Pigs in the trough are not only Federal Pollies.