By Brendan Rees
A not-for-profit equine school in Clyde North is at risk of closing its doors if they are unable to find a solution to lowering its rates.
Oakwood Riding School, which was founded in 1958, is struggling to keep up with its skyrocketing council rate bills as it falls within the Urban Growth Zone.
According to the school’s facility manager Sharyn Wyatt, if council rates continued to rise “the school’s life will be compromised.”
“Of course we can pass on costs to clients but this would then make riding unavailable to many,” she said.
Ms Wyatt said ideally the school would like to be taken out of the urban growth zone and be able to continue to provide “great sporting facilities in Casey at a reasonable cost.”
“Horse riding has been proven to be an excellent all over sport physically and mentally. It is one of the few disciplines where men and women can compete equally which we feel is very important,” she said.
Casey Mayor Cr Geoff Ablett visited the school on Tuesday 9 October, pledging the council’s support to keep the school alive.
“They’ve found themselves in a situation where there rates have gone from $16,000 to $32,000 (in two years),” he said. “Within five to 10 years their rates will be $100,000.”
“We want to do is solve the issue by getting their rates down by asking the Minister and Victoria Planning Authority to simply just change the zoning to maintain the participating and growth of our equine industry.”
“It does need to be changed otherwise it won’t survive so that’s the bottom line,” he added. “It’s a fantastic place – a lot of volunteers put in their time.”
Cr Ablett said had council had not provided a 60 per cent discount on the school’s current $32,000 rate bill, they would’ve been forced to “shut up shop.”
“In the long term the only answer for them to survive is to be rezoned to something else that enables them to survive and keep running the great business they run,” he said.
“The location would be exactly the same but they would be zoned green wedge or special use zone or something like.”
Cr Ablett added the school had a “great set up,” and it would be a “shame to see them go.”
“The equine industry is our biggest industry sitting alongside building roads and houses at the moment.”
The school moved from Narre Warren to Clyde North about 10 years ago which was also due to rising costs in the urban growth zone.
Meanwhile, Ms Wyatt says: “We don’t want to do this again as our clients are from the immediate area,”
She said the school had great coaches with many of their riders going on to be top level competitors in their field.
Ms Wyatt said the school plans to “expand the school groups; encourage ladies social riding groups to take an active role in life; to have a seniors activity during seniors month October 2019.”
