A formal network of mountain biking trails in the Illawarra escarpment is one step closer, after the NSW Government this week gave approval to move forward with the next stage of the long-running project.
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But under a new direction for the Illawarra Escarpment Mountain Bike Strategy, biking off-road near the top of Mount Keira will be off limits, with Mount Kembla and the land between the two mountains to become the focus of the trail network.
On Tuesday, NSW Minister for the Environment Matt Kean wrote to Wollongong City Council and other stakeholders to say he had approved National Parks and Wildlife Services to progress the development of the bike network.
He said NPWS had started to explore land between Mount Keira and Mount Kembla as an alternative option to Mount Keira, after the local Aboriginal community last year raised concerns about mountain biking through a significant cultural area.
A spokesperson for Mr Kean said the green lights was "an exciting opportunity to not only get more people into and enjoying our natural environments, but to also work closely with conservation groups, mountain bike interest groups and the Aboriginal community to provide outcomes that the entire community can enjoy."
Keira MP Ryan Park said moving into the detailed environmental planning stage was "a welcome milestone for a project that has broad community support".
"I have long supported the introduction of high quality infrastructure for mountain bike riding in the Illawarra and see it as one of the vital elements of a suite of world class tourism offerings for the region," he said.
"As hosts of the UCI Road World Cycling Championships in September 2022, Wollongong will have an unprecedented opportunity to become the first UCI Bike City in the Southern Hemisphere."
"Maximising the potential of our escarpment through the development of a sustainable, legalised trail network is an extremely important part of delivering on this once in a life time opportunity."
He said the new location for the trails would "offer a fantastic user experience and acknowledges the concerns raised by the community and stakeholders about the original proposal at Mount Keira."
Mr Kean told stakeholders that the proposed mountain bike network between Mount Keira and Mount Kembla would likely be finalised by October.
It will then form part of the updated draft Illawarra Escarpment Mountain Bike Strategy, which is due to be finalised next March. This will allow the NSW Government to consider funding for the construction of the network, Mr Kean said.
Mr Park said he would be advocating for some of this funding to be allocated in the 2020-21 NSW Budget, that will be handed down in November.
Asked to comment on the newest development, Chief Executive Officer of the Illawarra Land Council Paul Knight said he would wait to see the strategy before making any comment on the changed location of the trails.
Council to build support facilities for mountain biking trails
In his letter approving the next stage of the Illawarra Escarpment Mountain Bike Strategy, NSW Minister for the Environment Matt Kean acknowledged Wollongong City Council's commitment to developing the facilities that will support the new trail network.
He said the council had committed to building car parks and amenities, which it's understood will be located somewhere in Mount Kembla.
Lord Mayor Gordon Bradbery said he was pleased that a compromise had been reached between all parties to allow the trails and associated infrastructure to progress to the next stage.
"The focus will now be to the south of Mount Keira, and hopefully by March 2021 this plan will be in place," he said.
"We're basically now all singing from the same hymn sheet - we've listened, responded and everyone is on the same page. So once we get all this finalised we can apply for government funding for the infrastructure."
He said the change of location for the trails had come after a lot of consultation, which had led to a good outcome for the whole city.
"It's important we do recognise the significance of Mount Keira, because that in itself is a major tourism feature and cultural feature of our city - to respect the sanctity of that mountain.
"I'm also thankful that this process has helped us to discover more about the Aboriginal heritage in this city - it was the mountain biking strategy and the subsequent that brought this to the fore in lots of ways, and now we've been able to discover this very significant piece of our Aboriginal culture."