Council calls off BMX track demolition
UPDATE: Banyule Council has decided to call of the demolition of the BMX track after Neil Mitchell spoke to BMX rider Heath Williams at 8:30AM this morning.
EARLIER: A Boronia BMX enthusiast and his mate have spent the past seven years building a BMX track in Heidelberg, with the local council reportedly never objecting to the construction.
Now that the track is completed, the Banyule City council plans to have it demolished.
Neil Mitchell spoke to the man behind the track, Heath Williams, who said the council suddenly backflipped without warning.
"For seven years, they just said respect the area, clean up your mess and now they want it demolished this weekend," Heath said.
When Heath pressed the council for an explanation, they told him the bushland between the Eastern Freeway and the Yarra River was heritage ground.
"The Council posted a flyer on the track saying they're going to demolish it because it's on aboriginal heritage ground," he said.
Heath said he comes from an aboriginal background and doesn't understand how the track is offensive to anyone.
"We're not planning on building shops or making money from it or turning it into a wasteland."