By Faith Macale
Melton’s Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA) has welcomed a plan to relocate its facilities.
Developer Woodlea has approached Melton council about relocating the RDA from its current site at 939 Beattys Road, Aintree, as it prepares to develop the land for housing.
RDA had approval to run its activities at the site until 2043, making it necessary for the parties to find a new home for its facilities.
It is proposed the RDA make the move to a sports precinct at Newfoundland Circuit in Bonnie Brook.
While the relocation has been labelled as “temporary”, the RDA is expected to call Bonnie Brook home for 10-15 years.
RDA Melton co-ordinator Margaret Behan said members were excited about the relocation.
“Everyone’s quite happy as long as we’re continuing to operate,” she said.
“It’s the same faces, the same horses … facilities will be exactly the same, they’ll be set up a little different because the land is quite a different shape.
“What we have now is like a long and more narrow in places, whereas we will be on a huge big square.”
Ms Behan said the new area will also be a good environment for the horses and kids as it will be away from noise and dust coming from the road.
“The noise from the construction site, and the dust … we’re kind of all over that just a little bit,” Ms Behan said.
“Somewhere where there is no trucks, no tractors, no construction noise, they’ll all be quite happy with that.”
Melton council said it would work with Woodlea and the RDA to find it a future home once the relocation agreement expired.
However, Ms Behan said the RDA was hopeful the move to Bonnie Brook could become permanent.
Council will now ask the planning minister to amend the Melton planning scheme to rezone the site in Bonnie Brook to enable it to be used by the RDA.
