By Bonny Burrows
Cockatoo’s BMX riders may end up waiting for a decade for their cycling track.
Cardinia Shire Council has confirmed that the track will be completed some time between 2019 and 2023.
The timeline was confirmed by the council’s team leader of open space Kevin Alexander and follows three years of community lobbying.
The delay has frustrated riders and other residents who say they have watched similar projects being funded and completed in the meantime.
But the council said the project was not forgotten and it was investigating suitable sites, including the township’s preferred Alma Treloar Reserve, as part of its Skate and BMX strategy.
Mr Alexander said a location for the BMX track would be determined by 2019, as defined by the strategy.
“Council is on track to meet the action items committed to within this timeframe,” Mr Alexander said.
The next step for the council is compiling the draft Alma Treloar Reserve Master Plan Review that will include a suitable site for the BMX track before opening it to community consultation.
Once the site has been chosen and a masterplan completed, works can be budgeted and tendered.
“This is the same process undertaken for all major projects of this nature,” Mr Alexander said.
Mr Alexander said the council hoped the BMX track sub-committee and Cockatoo community would contribute to the consultation process for the draft masterplan once it was made available for feedback.
