Update re 275 Barham River Road - Directions Hearing Report
14th March 2018
The Ministerial Panel convened a Directions Hearing at Apollo Bay on Wednesday 14th March.
Present were the two Panel members, the proponent and legal, Colac Otway Council and legal, DELWP, Objectors Inc. and legal, and submitters and public.
Following is Objectors Inc’s understanding of what took place.
The Panel outlined their expected timeline and sequence of events going forward, and reiterated that procedural fairness must be adhered to, and all parties be given sufficient time to effectively investigate and analyse the proposal and any new information that may come to light.
Key Points
Stage two of the proposal has been withdrawn, reducing the application from 380 Hotel rooms with 222 Villas down to 180 Hotel Rooms and 82 Villas
The Panel requires the following further information and actions from the proponent
i) The new plans and documentation tabled today are formally submitted and included in the application.
ii) All of the investigative Geotechnical work that the Golder report mentions is actually carried out prior to the Panel process proceeding, rather than it be simply set aside to be completed as a condition of a Planning Permit being issued.
iii) The entire application is then redistributed in updated form, and be uploaded onto COC website
iv)The CHMP study, whilst not halting the Panels work, needs to be kept moving forward, rather than be simply set aside to be completed as a condition of the Planning Permit being issued.
v) A site inspection be organised for submitters and experts
vi) A response form CCMA, Vic roads, CFA, Powercor would be sought on the updated application
vii) An Economic Impact study and a Social Impact Study of the proposal be undertaken
It was also noted that the application is deficient in the following areas
- The plans and montages are inadequate
- No setbacks between buildings was supplied
- No Cut and Fill detail was supplied, and the site information itself was inadequate
- The proposed building materials detail was inadequate and no samples supplied
- The location and extent of vegetation removal detail was inadequate
Various other aspects of the application were discussed.
Importantly the Panel considered it not possible to estimate when the Panel may reconvene, given the volume of further information required from the proponent. It also noted that once the requested further information was received the Community would have opportunity to analyse and comment on the new documentation, and possibly request more information, depending on the adequacy of said information
A Directions Letter detailing all of the above will be issued to all parties next week.
Summary
The proponent was told to go away, prepare a proper detailed professional application meeting all of the standard requirements of a normal Planning Application, and we can all sit down again and reassess the situation.
Objectors Inc. asks the question; at what point is the Hotel proposal no longer of State Significance, given that the application is now reduced by well over half it’s original size?
Common sense and due process is at last starting to reappear.
We will update all members when (and indeed if) the requested information is tabled.
Please note that we are advised by Colac Otway Council officers that the planned Special Meeting of Council that was publicised for next week will now not take place.
Objectors Inc.
Copyright © 2018 Objectors to 275 Barham River Road Development Inc., All rights reserved.
Our mailing address is
Objectors to 275 Barham River Road Development Inc.
Shop 3/22 Pascoe Street
Apollo Bay VIC 3233
See here for further information about this proposed development.