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Members of the Macedon Ranges equine community are dismayed by the council’s decision to distance itself from its former equine strategy.
But the residents’ association has welcomed the move, claiming previous councils neglected basic responsibilities in favour of a proposal for a multi-million dollar, world-class equine centre.
Eight of the Macedon Ranges Shire’s nine councillors on Wednesday reiterated their support for a notice of motion that called for council to cease referring to the Equine Strategy 2012-16 for strategic direction.
Future economic strategies will consider the interests of the equine industry, while the new leisure strategy will include equestrian sports.
Councillors decided to withdraw the $25,000 budgeted by the previous council for the Macedon Ranges Equine Centre business case, and pull its support from the feasibility study.
It will also stop advocating for the project, and has requested the equine centre be removed from the region’s investment prospectus.
Macedon Ranges mayor Jennifer Anderson said councillors had identified flaws in the feasibility study, including the economic model.
She said the information was publicly available if private industry was keen to pursue the idea.
“Any outstanding issues (from the equine strategy) will be referred generally to all other strategies,” Cr Anderson said.
Development of council’s plan for the next four years is underway.
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The community reacts
Macedon Ranges Equine Industry Network (REIN) spokesperson Tracey Robertson said almost 100 people attended Wednesday’s special meeting, concerned by the council’s stance on the equine strategy.
“I don’t think they realise how important the industry is,” she said.
“To turn around and say we don’t value you, we don’t want to listen to you, is really dangerous.”
She said there were people who had moved to the shire because of the equine industry.
Fellow attendee and equine industry member Pip Byrne said she was shocked by the wording of the notice of motion and the result.
She said the new council was elected on the basis of a promise of a more consultative, transparent local government.
“I don’t feel there has been nearly enough consultation or transparency,” she said.
But Macedon Ranges Residents’ Association spokeswoman Christine Pruneau said the feedback the group had received about the proposed equine centre was unfavourable.
She said the feasibility study raised more questions than answered, and that council had placed disproportionate focus on the proposal which had distracted the shire from core commitments.
Neighbourhood houses were among the council services and facilities to suffer, Mrs Pruneau said.
“We would support council’s decision not to take the matters forward and to take a much broader look at the community needs within the shire,” she said.
In addition to thousands of dollars of funding, council and the community has spent five years’ worth of work on the proposed equine centre.
A draft study for the project attracted more than 800 submissions. About 95 per cent of the respondents were in favour of the centre’s development.
Thirty-two of the 62 participants in a poll on the Bendigo Advertiser website were averse to the project.
Thirty were supportive, and five respondents were ambivalent.
The estimated economic impact of the equine industry in Macedon Ranges was $140 million in the 2009/10 financial year.
The equine industry is also the shire’s seventh largest industry, supporting an estimated 772 jobs.
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Residents demand answers
Minutes from the council’s previous ordinary meeting, on February 22, indicate council was repeatedly asked to justify its stance on the equine strategy.
Travis Grieve, Lisa Kennedy, Joseph Vella, Gordon Nash, Jenny Stillman and Amy Benham were among the residents to submit questions.
Roger Lavelle said failing to continue to progress the proposed equine centre was contrary to community expectations and to the wishes of the broader equestrian community.
“Could council please explain why they have taken this position,” he asked.
“Why would the council consider removing the Macedon Ranges Equine Centre proposal from the Loddon Region 2016 Investment Prospectus before the outcome of Equestrian Victoria’s Department of Sport and Recreation survey is known?”
Paul Morath asked whether the debate surrounding the proposed equine centre was indicative of what was to come when the council was presented with other opportunities that might be considered ‘outside the square’.
“Are we looking at a regressive council that takes no notice of five years of solid, comprehensive study and public support,” he queried.
Macedon Ranges Shire Council chief executive officer Peter Johnston said he was unable to respond before the notice of motion was considered.