Brisbane, Australia –  A Lakeside Motor Racing Enthusiasts' insider source confirmed that the Pine Rivers Shire Council is being bullied by a small group of wealthy landowners using a publicity campaign of misinformation to delay the successful tenderer from opening Lakeside to the community.

The anti-Lakeside faction has acquired large holdings of lake-front acreage and wants to continue to prevent public access to the facility until the deal with the State Government, preserving the site's motor racing heritage, expires in 2010.

It is also being reported that some councillors are resisting heavy pressure to circumvent the spirit of the South East Queensland Regional Plan with a strategy to re-zone the former Australian Grand Prix circuit after 2010, or write-it-off as a multi-million dollar ratepayer donation to the local golf club.

President of LMRE, Ian Milton said,

"If one of Queensland's rare public motorsport venues can be re-zoned, then this well-healed minority will continue to bully Council into permitting subdivision of their estates. This will be a lotto win for them, but opening up the water front to another 1000 houses would be an insane burden on the Shire's fragile water supply. Conversely, Lakeside has a proven record over 40 years with its own water supply, has never had a pollution complaint lodged against it and no-one has ever provided one shred of scientific evidence that it has any impact on Lake Kurwongbah."

"Even if one was to accept the arguments of these selfish individuals at face value, how do they balance them against life saving public benefits to the majority of the Shire's population, such as educating our young drivers? Currently, Dakabin High School students are forced to pay higher costs and waste over 2 hours travelling to Ipswich for driver education courses when there's a vacant facility within walking distance of the school!"

"For each one of these wannabe developers complaining about Council process, LMRE has a member who moved to the area specifically to be closer to Lakeside, not to mention the fact that this gang represents less than one tenth of one percent of the ratepayers of the Shire and yet they're holding everyone east of Narangba Rd to ransom."

"The core of LMRE membership are Pine Rivers Shire residents and they are sick of hearing the childish cries about a lack of consultation even though the issue has been publicly debated in the media for nearly five years. How much credibility can you give someone who lacks basic knowledge of the local community issues and fails to do their own research?"

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