Hanging Rock Cricket Club has been offered Liberal Party support in its fight to continue to play cricket at its long-held home ground at Hanging Rock Reserve.
The club is fighting to keep its place at the Rock after state government draft masterplan recommended its relocation amid plans for environmental rehabilitation and the development of new infrastructure on the East Paddock.
In a visit to the site last week, Liberal MP and Shadow Minister for Sport, Cindy McLeish, Wendy Lovell MP and federal Liberal candidate Richard Welch met with club president Peter Walsh and club vice-president Stephen Mitchell to discuss their concerns.
Mr Mitchell said HRCC was grateful to have the MPs take an interest in the situation.
He said what was being recommended for the cricket club in the current draft masterplan was manifestly inconsistent with both the government’s strategic plan for the precinct and plans for all the other activities at Hanging Rock.
“(Ms Lovell and Ms McLeish) acknowledged that there is a much bigger problem here in how the East Paddock is being used as a development opportunity and not as a buffer zone to protect the primary values of Hanging Rock as outlined in the strategic plan,” Mr Mitchell said.
“The permanent stage, the car park and the discovery centre, plus a new road, are all going to visible from the top of Hanging Rock.
“The masterplan still seems to have a development agenda even though those objectives were roundly rejected by the community back when council first proposed its masterplan.”
COMMUNITY SPORT SACRIFICED
Mr Mitchell said community sport was being sacrificed to an agenda to develop Hanging Rock as a tourism and major events venue.
“The rationale for why kids playing cricket conflicts with environmental and Aboriginal heritage values yet concerts, car rallies, horse racing and everything else that is being guaranteed a future doesn’t conflict with those values has never been made clear,” he said.
“This in the only sporting ground that services all of the townships around Hanging Rock, that is Newham, Hesket, Carlsruhe, Rochford, Pipers Creek and Cobaw, plus all the farm properties that lie in between those villages.
“We don’t have another ground, none of those villages are big enough for one, they’re taking that away from us with no plan for relocation and no guarantee for our future.
“Ms Lovell and Ms McLeish acknowledged that under (then planning minister) Matthew Guy the council was given money to rezone the east paddock in order to ensure it didn’t get developed.
“They’re as puzzled as we are as to why it is now being looked upon as a development opportunity and I expect them to be raising vociferously in heir roles in holding government to account.”
VIEWS SHOULD BE PROTECTED
Ms McLeish said Hanging Rock was an iconic Australian destination with stunning views that should be protected.
“The Hanging Rock Cricket Club and local communities have been lobbying relentlessly to save their ground,” she said.
“On one hand the Labor government say how important community sport is, yet on the other they are happy to decimate this club.
“There should be a workable solution so that the cricket ground and concerts can co-exist in future like they have been.”
Mr Welch has written to the council and relevant state government MPs urging a review of the situation.
