This is a copy of the info from the Manly Warringah Cycling Club page
--------------
Do you want a purpose built bike park on the Northern Beaches – one that is dedicated to mountain biking? We need your help and a call to action to pick up your pens and write to some politicians. This is your opportunity to ensure that the Northern Beaches has a dedicated off road bike riding facility, but it won’t happen unless you show your support. Without your action, this facility will be doomed. The Council vote is on May 27 so don’t delay!
The issues behind the Belrose Bike Park are now starting to firm up. There is a DA for its use as a bike park and Council will be meeting on the 27th May to vote on whether it will support the facility – at present it does not have the required number of votes. The issue at the heart of this is that current estimates indicate around $200k of annual costs for maintenance and Council are reluctant to take on further recreational costs if there is little perceived support from the community.
The park and its trails will be designed to best practice and while not rivalling Stromlo will be an exciting venue. The costs of construction of the trails will be met out of the budgets for the Belrose tip site remediation budgets. There is the prospect of a substantial downhill and cross country bike facility being established. It isn’t often that a 35 hectare site comes onto the market.
Map of the proposal is shown above. It essentially involves various trails of varying difficulty from beginner to advanced. A more indepth report can be found at this link: http://media.wix.com/ugd/149690_96e6c98 ... e6cee3.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
The positives for the facility are:
1- It will be the only dedicated mountain biking and CX facility in the Sydney Metropolitan area of any length. (There is a small park in Hornsby)
2- It will be able to cater for all types of riders and permit club and open mountain bike and cyclocross races.
3- It will be a facility that can be used by schools for training as part of their sports programs.
4- It can be used by bike suppliers and distributors for Demo days within a controlled space.
5- The Park has the potential to have facilities including toilets, retail, cafe/coffee van, mountain bike club house and storage facility.
6- The park will encourage riders off exiting illegal trails.
7- The park has the potential to link into the Manly Dam / Bantry Bay trails and link via Cascades trail.
It is important that club members write to council and to all councillors to support this proposal, otherwise it will be fenced off and mowed 6 times a year with no public access. This will mean that the growing number of riders will be forced to use the dwindling available trails for their off road riding. If we do not show our support for this project, it is currently doomed for failure.
The Northern Beaches has no purpose built cycling facilities. With space at an absolute premium on the Northern Beaches this is the only viable proposal in the short and long term. If we lose this option, there are very few other options in the future.
The potential size and uniqueness of the facility will make it a draw card for riders from all over Sydney, but it needs your support – we aren’t asking you to give up a weekend, just your time to pen a letter of support to Council. This will be a place for children to learn to ride and adults to ride and race. Please show your support and spread the word.
Please email the Council:
Code: Select all
mayor@warringah.nsw.gov.au
vanessa.moskal@warringah.nsw.gov.au
wayne.gobert@warringah.nsw.gov.au
vincent.deluca@warringah.nsw.gov.au
sue.heins@warringah.nsw.gov.au
pat.daley@warringah.nsw.gov.au
bob.giltinan@warringah.nsw.gov.au
roslyn.harrison@warringah.nsw.gov.au
duncan.kerr@warringah.nsw.gov.au
jose.menano-pires@warringah.nsw.gov.au
