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Help Stop the Mega Million Bike / Walking Path Project in the Armidale Region!
67 kilometres, Armidale to Ben Lomond.  Paid for by you.

Armidale Regional Council is prioritising a nice-to-have recreational project ahead of critical infrastructure, such as guaranteeing our water supply. Council is currently spending over $ 1.5 million planning a bike/walking path before it’s even built. It will cost $21 million to build and then we, the ratepayers, will pay ongoing maintenance costs for 30 years! 

Meanwhile, the real priorities are:

• Water security — not one additional drop of water secured
•  Ageing water and end-of-life wastewater treatment plants
• Lack of health facilities – e.g. hydrotherapy pool
• Roads in disrepair and dangerous rural black spots
• Cracked, uneven and missing footpaths
• Expensive tip fees and no annual kerbside collection
• Sporting fields with no change rooms
• Drainage, parks, cemeteries, and street trees need attention
• Enhancing existing tourism facilities/assets
• Rates and water charges - increasing now!

In 2019 this town came within 100 days of running dry, and Council’s plan was to evacuate the town. Seven years on, we are still at risk of running out of water. Despite this, Council is pressing ahead with a 67-kilometre rail trail costing $21 million to build - even after government funding for it was withdrawn in 2024, more than $1.5 million is being spent on planning and preliminary works. State/Federal Government funding grants are still public money which comes out of our pockets one way or another.

Council Claims 85% Support -  Independent Review Finds Only 1.4% Local Support 

Council conducted a community consultation process which included recent written submissions and surveys from face-to-face meetings and phone calls. Council concluded that 85% support the rail trail which is only part of the story. Following an independent review, the data reveals the 85% support does not represent our local community. In fact only 1.4% of people that live within the local government area (LGA) support it.  Here are the facts: 

Submissions received by Council:    1,848
Verified respondents supporting it – within Armidale Regional Council area :     396
Supportive responses from outside the region (incl. unknown addresses), after Rail Trails Australia urged its Australia-wide members to respond: 1,167
Less than 1.4% of local people made a submission supporting the rail trail

The majority of submissions came from people who live outside the local area, not the ratepayers who will be responsible for paying for it.  Of submissions received, fewer than 1.4% (396 people) living within the LGA support the rail trail. 75% of submissions came from outside the LGA, including Rail Trails Australia members who were directly solicited by email to support the project, while the majority of ratepayers were unaware. The result is a vast majority of submissions are from across Australia and overseas. The cost and impact fall on local ratepayers – not people outside the LGA.

In addition, Council’s survey did not tell respondents the rail trail would cost $21 million, require removal of the railway tracks and create decades of ongoing Council costs. Had respondents known the true cost and impact, it’s quite possible they would have responded differently. Overall the community consultation process is questionable. Most importantly, the 396 LGA residents who supported the rail trail does not represent broad community support.  

$21 Million to Build - Then 30 Years of Maintenance Costs 

Council estimates the 67 km rail trail will cost $102,000 a year to maintain. Comparable trails cost in excess of $2,000–$3,871 per kilometre, suggesting our trail could cost at least $136,000–$259,000 every year. That’s before major periodic costs such as resurfacing, flood damage and asset renewal. Under the proposed 30 year plus lease, ratepayers could be locked into these ongoing costs for decades.  Furthermore, the project’s stated cost-benefit ratio has fallen threefold over recent years, raising serious questions about the project’s claimed benefits and viability.   

Once the train tracks are gone, they are gone 

Building the trail means ripping up the railway line. Two private entities want to use the train line for tourism and freight at no cost to ratepayers. Removing the tracks closes the door on future rail, tourism and commercial use for the foreseeable future.

SIGN THE PETITION      
We call on Armidale Regional Council to:
1.    Stop spending ratepayers’ money on the proposed New England Rail Trail
2.    Stop pursuing further public funding for it
3.    Put essential infrastructure and whole-of-community projects first
4.    Properly consider alternative proposals for the rail corridor

Figures cited are drawn from the 2020 and 2024 New England Rail Trail business cases and Council consultation material.

Please include your name, town and postcode. Town and postcode ensure your petition can be counted towards local LGA and wider stakeholder support. 

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