Goulburn district resident presses Wakefield Park noise concerns

The district resident knows that's not the case because Wakefield Park is 9.7km away from his Quialigo property, southeast of Goulburn.

Equipped with a high-tech noise meter, he's been recording sound from Wakefield Park raceway for many years. On some days in certain conditions, he said the noise was unbearable.

As secretary of one of two Noise Pollution Action Groups, Mr Thomas has taken a stronger interest since Wakefield Park operators lodged a development application this year. It proposes to upgrade and modernise infrastructure, create new off-road experience areas, and provide for ongoing use of the camping area and existing visitor accommodation facilities in conjunction with motor sport activities. Work is valued at $5.6 million.

It also seeks to formalise the terms of a Land and Environment Court noise prevention notice agreed upon by Wakefield Park and the council earlier this year.

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But it has not allayed Mr Thomas's concerns.

"There is a lot of concern among people out here about what could happen," he said.

"Someone has to stand up because I see this as a total blight against law and order. This DA is unenforceable just like the last one."

Mr Thomas addressed councillors in open forum at their most recent meeting.

He claimed that Environmental Protection Authority consent conditions relating to noise issued in 1993 still basically applied to the raceway today. Mr Thomas said they were not properly policed when monitoring responsibility transferred to the council.

"Wakefield Park never installed noise barriers and no residence noise monitoring ever took place," he said.

"...The original consent, because of the way it was written, was not enforceable."

Matters reached a head in the past few years and following residents' complaints, the council issued the operators with a noise prevention notice.

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Wakefield Park challenged this in the NSW Land and Environment Court and the parties subsequently negotiated agreement on an operating regime and noise controls as part of the prevention notice.

It restricted noise to 95 decibels when measured 30 metres from the track and established a community consultative committee, among other conditions.

Mr Thomas maintains this notice still offers little protection for residents. He quoted from the council's own directions notice which stated that it wanted to "address the identified deficiencies in the existing consent with regard to noise management but (did) not attempt to override it."

"The council has tried exceedingly hard to get Wakefield Park to agree to lodge a DA and has given enormous noise concessions," he told councillors.

Mr Thomas argued the 483-page document only had 33 pages devoted to noise and there was "zero mention of the impact on residents."

He also highlighted operators' public comments that it would continue to operate under the existing consent if new DA consent conditions were "unduly onerous."

"So they want an unenforceable consent with increased noise conditions," Mr Thomas said.

Noise 'travels'

The octagenarian and former engineer rejects the DA's statement that there are no "untoward meteorological conditions" that would carry noise to residents.

"We're 9.7km away and I never thought Wakefield Park would be a problem but it is," he said.

"We are in a valley and when you get a temperature inversion with low wind, cold air at the top and warm air at the bottom, the noise comes up, hits the boundary and travels for kilometres. So on a calm day when Wakefield Park is operating you would swear it's in your front yard."

Mr Thomas told councillors while racing car noise limits were regulated, those surrounding recreational motor activities could be changed. The latter constituted "more than 80 per cent" of Wakefield's activities.

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He told The Post that community representatives on the consultative committee remained angry about noise from the raceway.

The raceway's operations manager Dean Chapman acknowledged the strong focus on recreational vehicles and activities but said noise for this was measured in exactly the same way as motor racing. The company had "invested heavily" in three noise meters.

In addition, he said the facility had also modified its activities from earlier this year to meet noise limits, including having learner driver weekends instead of race meetings.

"We are having one 'quiet' weekend a month and one day each week where noise is below 75 decibels averaged over 15 minutes," he said.

"We are working with the council to find a way to live harmoniously with residents. We understood that we needed to modify what we were doing...We want to be seen as a good member of the community and that's reflected in what we've done over the past 12 months."

Mr Chapman said two noise experts had concluded that temperature inversion was not a defining factor regarding noise and while Mr Mason claimed he was affected, others near him were not.

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Nevertheless, operating times for recreational vehicle days had changed to start at 9.30am, rather than 9am as a concession.

Mr Chapman said while cutting back race days might not hurt in the short term, over time it would erode Wakefield's income and ability to upgrade its track and infrastructure.

"Venues like Bathurst will overtake us and Wakefield may become irrelevant in the future," he said.

Owners would await the DA conditions and assess future direction.

However Mr Chapman believed residents had been consulted widely through letterbox drops, information sessions, the consultative committee and a 52-day exhibition period for the DA. Public submissions closed last week.

"We've considered people's feedback and believe we've come to a solid agreement that meets all parties' concerns," he said.

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