Karting track forced to close

A KART racing facility that hosts one of the city’s major events has been forced to close following noise complaints from three neighbours.

The Planning and Environment Court said Xtreme Karting, which operated on Pimpama Jacobs Well Rd, was “in breach of the town plan in terms of permitted use and had to close”.

Court documents detail three residents opposed the development.

Xtreme Karting staff member Jeff Smith said the Gold Coast City Council and his business had worked together to resolve the noise issues before the trial, but the court did not agree to the terms the two parties had put together.

“Gold Coast City Council initially supported the applicant,” he said.

“There’s been quite a lot of negotiations in recent times about how the facility can continue to operate subject to conditions, in regards to noise and so on.

“The Planning and Environment Court found against both the council and the applicant. Technically, the facility was then in breach of the town plan in terms of permitted use and had to close.”

A Gold Coast City Council spokesman said a development application with the council was lodged by Gold Coast Motorsport Training Centre Pty Ltd in December 2014 and was refused in July 2016. A month later the company filed a notice of appeal in the Planning and Environment Court.

The spokesman said last year the company changed its development application and the council notified the court it would now support approval of the “proposed development subject to conditions, provided the court is satisfied that the proposed use would not detract from the amenity of the local area”.

Following a five-day hearing, the appeal was dismissed on July 2.

The City spokesman said the development application was refused “as the proposed use conflicted with the planning scheme, would detract from the amenity of the local area, would have an unacceptable noise impact and there were no sufficient grounds to justify approval of the proposed development, despite the conflict with the planning scheme”.

Mr Smith said Xtreme Karting shutting meant the Gold Coast would be unable to host the Race of Stars in November. The event has become one of Australia’s main karting events since starting at the Pimpama track in 2013. Karting Australia released a statement confirming the race will not be in the city this year.

“It is with great disappointment that we have to make this announcement,” said Karting Australia chief executive officer Kelvin O’Reilly. “The Race of Stars has become a truly iconic event on the Australian, and the world, karting calendar since 2013.”

Mr Smith said organisers had needed council approval to host the race and had never breached agreed noise limits.

“We have had acoustic engineers on site and at no stage during those seven years has Karting Australia ever breached,” he said.

A Facebook group, Support Motorsport at Pimpama, launched on July 9 after Xtreme Karting closed and already has 8200 members. Calls for the facility to be reopened have flooded the page.