AWARDING Orange a larger slice of the horse racing industry pie has driven a proposal for an equine precinct around Towac Park Racecourse.
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Three landowners have put their properties forward, and nine others, around Ploughmans Lane to be rezoned to RU4 small-lot primary production to allow the lots to be subdivided into as many as 34 two-hectare lifestyle lots, an increase of 21.
One of the landowners and Towac Park horse trainer Brad Draper said the aim was to allow people with an interest in any equine discipline to live close to their horses, but not to overdevelop the land.
“They would be able to have a nice house and a garden,” he said.
He said at the moment, if a trainer wanted to set up stables at the racecourse, they would own the building, but not the land.
“This idea means that the investment they make is theirs and that’s a big thing,” he said.
Mr Draper said Clifton Grove was available, but there was nothing closer to Towac and his previous attempts to set up stables in Murphys Lane were unsuccessful due to zonings.
Councillors supported the rezoning in principle subject to preliminary designs and costings for a horse underpass through the future Southern Feeder Road and a masterplan containing specific equine controls and lot layouts, including horse laneways and provisions for stables, exercise paddocks and animal welfare requirements.
A minimum paddock size of 2000 square metres a horse was suggested, in line with a similar precinct at Kembla Grange, near Wollongong.
Councillor Scott Munro said he would like to see some more “substance” at the venue.
“And bring some more people in with racehorses to be able to work at Towac Park,” he said.
Mayor Reg Kidd pointed out Clifton Grove was developed using similar principles, including bridle tracks.
“Then what happens? Kids take off, no one wants to ride the horses, it comes back to mum and dad, we get five million complaints about grass growing on the bridle tracks, weeds on the bridle tracks, then you lease it out to keep the grass down and people complain about stock on the bridle paths,” he said.
“There’s a long, long way to go on this.”
Development services director David Waddell said staff wanted the area to be an equine precinct.
“We want there to be impediments from just anyone moving into this precinct,” he said.
“It would make no sense to do this and let non-horse people in, this is all about protecting Towac.”
Once conditions have been met, the matter will come back to councillors.