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St Ives showground and surrounds
Following from the North Shore Times. Need to keep an eye on Ku-ring-gai Council and any call for public submissions, as development of the area has the potential to impact on mtb access to the trails through from St Ives Chase to the Ryland Track and on the Quarry Track / Linigen Pl links on the other side of the road.
Uproar over St Ives Showground plans
NEWSLOCAL NEWS
04 DEC 09 @ 01:33AM BY KATRINA ADAMSKI
INFIGHTING broke out between Ku-ring-gai councillors as they debated the development of St Ives Showground.
This week the majority of councillors voted to put a draft options paper for the Mona Vale Rd site on public exhibition for two months.
The report presents options for the 53ha site, including the showground, Ku-ring-gai Wildflower Garden, nursery, HART and former green waste tip site.
At the meeting, two residents spoke against transferring the Mini Wheels Club from the showground to the tip site because of noise affecting people living near Garigal National Park.
Cr Tony Hall recommended the report be referred to the open space committee but operations director Greg Piconi said this had already happened.
Cr Rakesh Duncombe urged councillors not to vote for Cr Hall’s delaying tactics.
Cr Elaine Malicki agreed. “This matter has been to the committee, and as deputy chair, Cr Hall would be very well aware of this,” she said.
All councillors except for Cr Hall, Jennifer Anderson and Carolyne Hardwick voted to move forward with receiving submissions from the public.
After the meeting, Cr Hall accused his colleagues of not being responsible because the tip site was “highly polluted.
“This proposal condemns vulnerable children involved in the mini wheels club to this council-managed site,” he said.
“High tension electrical transmission lines supplying Sydney’s grid also pass over the site.”
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Just by reading this I'm not convinced this would impact MTB riders much. Do you have a map of proposed areas that could potentially be lost/are slated for development?
Here's a link to the KMC web page with all relevant doco's:
http://www.kmc.nsw.gov.au/www/html/103-view-coun...
Overall, it looks pretty good - increased access for cycling, including an area currently in HART (where George Bush went for his mtb ride). Only thing not clear from the bits I looked at was whether continued access from the Showground to the single track running through to the Ryland track was envisaged (the "upper" track).
Wow... after looking at these maps the whole thing looks good. Particularly:
1. The inclusion of a tunnel under Mona Vale Road (and traffic lights).
2. The HART centre being open to the public and in particular the 'Mini Wheels' (where did that term come from) having potential for MTB events. Although as laid out on the plan looks too short
3. There's even something for road riders with possible alternate crit course around new road on the Oval and link to Wildflower garden. Oddly enough I was riding round the Wildflower cycle path with a mate this morning and he asked if they used it for crits. Imagine the bottom (most Northerly) corner and the nasty little pinch climb after it... that would be entertaining!!
If this happens we need to make sure the MTB track in HART is a decent length, even if it does mean a few of switchbacks. Sadly the track they've laid out doesn't look anywhere near long enough. However, there is land to the East of there that looks like it might be useful for an extension (not NPWS land).
Looks like the short course track in the Oval grounds would be lost (replaced by camping) but guess if there's a longer track in HART that would be OK?
While everybody is in the mood to make submissions to Councils regarding mtb use, Ku-ring-gai Council currently has a draft plan for the St Ives show grounds precinct on the table and open for public comment (BY 1 MARCH). See link below:
http://www.kmc.nsw.gov.au/www/html/3559-draft-op...
There is a lot of info there and some good stuff proposed for cycle use generally, for which it would be useful if Council received indications of support from cyclists. While the proposals seem to concentrate on developments that would make the area a more attractive destination for cyclists (cycle path access from St Ives, more cycling areas in the precinct), it also won't hurt to remind them about access through the precinct for mtb's - from St Ives via the wildflower gardens and onto the tracks that run parallel to Mona Vale Rd and link through to the Ryland Track, and from St Ives into the old tip area and down the Quarry Track to the Heath Track / Cascades.
I haven't really had time to look at this, but the plan did seem to have merrit, so wrote this:
I sent this:
"I refer to the current call for public submissions on the options for the showground precinct.
I note with approval the proposed cycle path from St Ives along the south side of Mona Vale Rd, the proposed improvements in terms of lights for crossing at the show ground and the welcome addition of mtb / bmx / minibike areas at the back of the current HART facility. I am sure these initiatives will be supported by mountain bike riders (cyclists) in general.
As to the other changes, my main interests as a mountain bike rider would be to ensure that
a) the current access corridor from St Ives to Duffy's forest is maintained. This corridor runs from the fire trail that runs down off Warrimoo Ave / Phillips Ave, joins up to the Wildflower Garden and then links through to the back of the show ground, then splits to go along the "horse track" which is close to Mona Vale Rd, and the lower track which runs around the back of the pistol club, before joining up with the Ryland Track.
b) the current access corridor from Linigen Place through to the access road for the old green waste tip, through to the Bare Ck / Heath Tracks in Garigal NP is maintained and integrated with any track development at the back of the current HART complex.
c) suitable recognition is given to the support for mountain bike riding afforded by the visit earlier this century by US President George Bush, with recognition by a plaque or something to commemorate his mountain bike bike riding efforts in the area. This would be a distant third to the other 2 concerns.
Where possible, existing fire trail could be replaced / complemented by mountain bike specific single track to enhance the riding experience. The better, more interesting the track, the higher he level of usage and the better the spin offs for the coffee shops, bike shops and other businesses in the St Ives area.
Mountain bike riding is a healthy, well supported activity that appeals to all age groups. There are many tracks in Ku-ring-gai set aside for walker only access, but very few tracks (other than fire trails) designated as shared use. This development plan provides an opportunity to address that imbalance. Recent decisions by Warringah Council in relation to Manly Dam highlight the level of demand for mountain bike specific tracks in the region and the level of support that can be generated for mountain bike access issues.
Making mountain bike friendly areas accessible to St Ives urban areas - by the proposed cycle path and the current fire trail linkage - will ensure that young folks can utilise these areas without requiring transport, keeping cars off the road and addressing community issues related to childhood obesity."