Logan City Council asks state to dump plans for greyhound track

12th August 2014

LOGAN City Council will write to Premier Campbell Newman requesting plans to build a greyhound track at Slacks Creek be scrapped. The decision was made at a recent meeting of the planning and development committee, where council received legal advice that it does not have the power to rescind the 2011 approval of the track's development application. Councillors resolved to write to the Premier, "requesting that based on the concerns raised by residents, the proposed greyhound racing facility at Cronulla Park, Slacks Creek, not proceed and that the funding be spent on more appropriate projects in Logan".

Yet Deputy Mayor and greyhound enthusiast Councillor Russell Lutton says the letter was a "waste of time" as the development was already too far advanced. "The track is pretty well designed and the principal contractor has been or is about to be awarded," he said.

Cr Lutton said the track's construction is due to begin in October and if all goes to plan the first races will be held in July 2015. Cr Lutton said he did not argue against the motion when it arose at last week's ordinary council meeting, as he knew the numbers were against him, but he had not changed his position of support for the track. "It was a silly motion, it's going nowhere and it just makes us look like fools," he said.

Council previously wrote to Sports Minister Steve Dickson, calling for the track to be a designed as a multi-use facility. Mr Dickson responded to council in a letter dated June 30 and recommended council contact Racing Queensland (RQ) directly. "The Cronulla Park project is being managed independently by RQ, as the control body for greyhound racing," he wrote.

Cr Lutton said although Cricket Australia had proposed putting a pitch in the centre of the track, he believed the track would be RQ's first priority. "Their brief is to get the track up and running, that is the crucial need for the greyhound racing industry," he said."The community facilities will come in later."

by Jessica McKenzie, Jimbooma Times

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