General News
10 August, 2023
Great Western residential hotel passed
The Northern Grampians Shire Council passed the application 5-1 at its council meeting on Monday, August 7, in St Arnaud.
Community
Great Western
A proposed two-storey residential hotel in Great Western could be bound for the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal after it was passed by the local council this week.
The Northern Grampians Shire Council passed the application 5-1 at its council meeting on Monday, August 7, in St Arnaud.
Council received 40 objections to Planning Permit Application 5.2021.106.1, which sought to develop a two-storey residential hotel with "ancillary shop, alterations and extensions to the existing food and drink premises, basement car park" at 98-100 Main Street, Great Western.
Council has also received 14 supporting submissions.
RELATED: Great Western residents hold concerns over proposed residential hotel
Cr Trevor Gready moved the motion to provide a planning permit, seconded by Cr Eddy Ostarcevic.
"I spoke to a number of residents in Great Western... they were keen to see hotel like this go ahead due to the economic boost to the town," Cr Gready said.
"It will be quite an asset to the whole community."
"If a community stays still, it will go backwards," Cr Ostarcevic said.
"The hotel complex sits well with the idea that Great Western is a gateway to the shire from the east and has a lot to promote it as a tourist destination."
Cr Murray Emerson said the decision was difficult.
"[The application] ticks all the boxes to suggest it should go ahead," he said.
"I sympathise with the 40 residents who don't have the same opinion; I don't take it lightly when they use their time to meet with councillors... to discuss what they see as the right direction for the wine village that is Great Western."
Cr Emerson said objectors could appeal the decision via VCAT.
RELATED: Planning has begun for an 80-room motel in Great Western
Cr Lauren Dempsey, the only councillor to vote against the motion, reiterated the difficulty of the decision.
"I have not been able to make a decision on this application for a long time," she said.
"A lot of objections were based on the Great Western Futures Plan, which is something council worked with the community on."
Cr Emerson and Cr Dempsey noted the futures plan does not "hold weight" against the shire's planning scheme.
"It's a real shame that all this community put a lot of time their heart and soul into a plan," Cr Dempsey said.
"Then it gets to a point of decision that goes against that plan and we say, 'sorry, that plan carries no weight'."
Applicant pleased with outcome, residents wary
We see the development as positive progress for Great Western and the greater Grampians region.Bruce Ahchow
In a statement, Bruce Ahchow, chief executive of Great Western Enterprises, expressed his appreciation for the affirmative vote.
"The development has been assessed against the very rigid requirements of Victoria's Planning Scheme, he wrote.
"It has been a long process and has required a number of professional reports and presentations to be prepared and submitted.
"We have been guided by expert town planners, traffic engineers and our designer as well as Rescode.
"Suggestions to improve the planning and design have been taken onboard and incorporated into the building.
"We see the development as positive progress for Great Western and the greater Grampians region."
Objectors created a GoFundMe page to pay for the legal fees of taking the matter to VCAT.
Brett Tunstall, a spokesperson for the group, said the project had divided the community.
"Going forward, there will be more than 40 objectors," he said.
"Children can't vote... people were on holidays, some people only just found out... so it's closer to half the town. This is a huge community outcry. It's been very divisive.
Mr Tunstall iterated he's not against the hotel.
"It's just a really a bad spot," he said.
"We don't understand why it's being built. There's 59-single rooms... how is that good for tourism?"
As of 1pm on Thursday, August 10, the GoFundMe total is $7230. To donate, visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-save-great-western-historic-village