GREENS candidate John Fry has said protecting Mount Panorama will be one of his priorities if he is elected to Bathurst Regional Council in September.
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Mr Fry said Mount Panorama an important cultural and tourism asset and it is currently under threat from bad planning.
He has called for more consultation with key stakeholders for planning to better manage the site.
“As the lead candidate for the Greens, we’d all like to see a proper planning process,” he said.
“We’ve got everyone we need to consult with and we need to plan this iconic mount, we need to plan it properly.”
Mr Fry said developments on Mount Panorama had to be appropriate and viable.
For this reason, he is against the building of a go-kart track at the top of the mountain, as is currently proposed.
“We think there’s plenty of other places for the go-kart track,” Mr Fry said.
“Bathurst’s local government area is huge and council owns lots of land and so does the state government, so there is plenty of places that we can look at that would fit a go-kart track in, rather than on the top of the mount where some other development or usage may come up.”
The go-kart track has become a contentious issue, with opposition coming from the Wiradyuri community due to the development being proposed on a significant cultural site.
Council has at times had a strained relationship with the Wiradyuri people, particularly in regards to Mount Panorama.
Mr Fry said that part of his plan for the icon would include further consultation with the group to ensure its concerns are being heard and considered during planning.
“I’m offering to be a go-between or a conciliator because we need to reconcile these arguments,” he said.
He said further consultation with stakeholders would protect the site from inappropriate developments and the costs associated with battles over new ideas.
Another project Mr Fry hopes to tackle if elected to council will be to address the environmental impact of Bathurst’s Waste Management Centre.
He said council should consider putting an electricty generating plant there in the future, coupled with solar panels.
“We could build a hybrid power station at the site of the tip because it is land that no one wants to build on,” Mr Fry said.
He said these ideas, along with some other green energy sources, could help “get Bathurst off the grid” and improve sustainability.
“So when the tip finishes, lets put a power station there,” he said.
