Shire appoints bike trail expert to consult on Anglesea plan

THE Surf Coast Shire has appointed award winning bike trail designers World Trail to assist in the project to determine the future of the Anglesea Bike Park.

The bike park’s future in its existing location has been under threat since the closure of the Alcoa coal mine, as the land is owned by Alcoa and is slated to become “sustainable residential housing and tourism accommodation” under draft plans for the redevelopment of the mine.

Yesterday (Wednesday), the shire announced it had appointed locally-based specialist trails consultant Gerard McHugh from World Trail to assist them in the investigation of all available options including an assessment of costs.

The work will also investigate the opportunity for the bike park to double as the trail head for a formalised trail network that would link local and regional bike trails.

World Trail is a respected builder of recreational trails, and in 2017 received the ‘Specialized Trail of the Year’ award as judged by the riders of the Enduro World Series.

Shire chief executive officer Keith Baillie expressed the council’s appreciation for everyone’s contribution to the project.

“The council is working with community members, including representatives of the Anglesea Bike Park, as well as the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, on both the bike park and trail analysis.”

A report detailing location options will be tabled for consideration by council at its May 22 meeting so that a decision on the future of the Anglesea Bike Park is made before the expiry of the lease on June 30.

A second report will be prepared for the council’s consideration in September on a trails concept plan. This report will detail options, including costs, for a formalised network of bike trails that would position Anglesea as a regional bicycle trails destination.

The Anglesea Bike Park is expected to be raised at two community meetings this weekend – one hosted by Sarah Henderson at the Anglesea Memorial Hall on Saturday April 14 at 4pm and another hosted by the Anglesea Community Network on Sunday April 15 at the same venue at 10.30am.