Residents rally against motorsport park

More than 200 Beachmere residents today rallied and cited serious concerns against the planned Moreton Motorsport Park.

They voiced fears over flooding risks, environmental contamination and impact on the town’s quiet coastal lifestyle, if the motorsport park is approved.

A $20 million motorsport park is proposed for land at Bloesch Rd, off Beachmere Rd, with a speedway circuit, motocross track, driver training and BMX-style track.

Beachmere residents have urged decision-makers to reject the application in its current form and prioritise the “long-term wellbeing of the community and environment”.

“We are not anti-development,” a spokesperson for the protest group said.

“But any development must be appropriate for the location, sustainable, and respectful of the people who call Beachmere home.”

The group is urging residents, environmental advocates and stakeholders to join their campaign and make submissions opposing the motorsport park.

Campaigners plan to meet with the State Government Deputy Premier’s Office tomorrow and outline how the proposed motorsport park would impact Beachmere.

“Beachmere is not the place for a high-impact industrial motorsport facility,” a spokesperson for the residents’ group said.

“This project would bring significant and lasting harm to our community, our health, and our

surrounding environment.”

Plans for the Moreton Motorsport Park were challenged at a packed - and at times highly charged - public meeting earlier this month

Speakers and supporters were, at times, talked over and shouted down by opponents with key concerns being traffic, flooding, noise, property values, wildlife and the submissions process.

Those were repeated at today’s protest with residents worried about the proximity of the development to the Moreton Bay Marine Park, just four kilometres away.

The group also warned petrochemical pollutants, including fuel residues and PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), were a serious risk to delicate marine ecosystems.

“Any contamination from this site could flow through the catchment into the Marine Park,” the spokesperson said.

“This is an unacceptable risk to one of Queensland’s most significant natural assets.”

They also fear the potential for increased flooding in what they see as a vulnerable area.

The development site is on low-lying land, raising fears land modification and hard-surfacing could exacerbate stormwater runoff and intensify flood events across the town.

Residents say a motorsport park would generate sustained high noise levels from engines, events and associated activities.

Locals claim this will disrupt daily life and could have ongoing health impacts, particularly for elderly residents and families with young children.

The facility is also expected to increase traffic volumes in and around Beachmere, placing pressure on local roads and infrastructure, say campaigners.

Criticism has also been levelled at the developer Corbet’s Group for its decision to submit the project under the Ministerial Infrastructure Designation (MID) pathway,.

Residents argue it bypasses standard planning scrutiny and community consultation. “We believe this is an abuse of process,” the spokesperson said.

“Developments of this scale and impact should be subject to full, transparent assessment and meaningful community input, not fast-tracked through an inappropriate planning mechanism.”