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Key points
- Point Grey at Lorne has received another $2 million in funding this year.
- Growing frustration about the way forward to develop the waterside site.
- A new masterplan is being developed to determine the way forward.
With its glittering seaside views nestled on the Great Ocean Road, Point Grey in Lorne is one of the region’s best parcels of coastal real estate that has long been earmarked for rejuvenation.
The site hosts the popular but ageing Lorne Aquatic and Angling Club house, which needs an overhaul, while the operator of the long-running seafood restaurant has now left Point Grey. The fishing co-op, which adjoins the former restaurant building, closed more than five years ago.
The confirmation of an extra $2 million in government funding earlier this year, bringing the total to almost $13 million, should have been a clear win for the community.
Committee for Lorne chairman Ian Stewart at Point Grey. Credit: Joe Armao
But the 1.7 hectare site of mostly Crown land, located beside the Lorne Pier, is languishing and there is growing frustration with redevelopment plans stretching back well over 10 years.
Co-chair of a Community Co-design Group for the project, Ian Stewart, said there was general agreement across the community that the site was due for a revamp. Yet, its future remains entirely unclear, he said.
The Community Co-design Group is still trying to find a way forward at Point Grey after the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) last year rejected an application for a new building with a restaurant for 160 patrons, outdoor recreation areas and parking.
“We want to present something the local people are prepared to own, love and enjoy like we have through the generations,” Stewart said.
Stewart, who is also Committee for Lorne chairman, said he was worried they would get less value for their money the longer the process drew out due to inflation and rising building costs.
“Even now, construction costs will be a big factor in what we’re able to deliver.”
The former Great Ocean Road Coastal Committee (now the Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority) was the original proponent of the plan.
An aerial view of Point Grey. Credit: Joe Armao
But VCAT found the restaurant was not dependent on the coastal location, and it was intended to attract tourism revenue rather than supporting the marine and coastal surrounds.
Stewart said the introduction of the Marine and Coastal Act several years ago and its policies would shape what could be built at Point Grey, and subsequently influence what could be built elsewhere at other seaside locations in the state.
Planner Rod Duncan, who has advised state government bodies on coastal policy, said the marine act had strengthened the requirement that any proposed waterside development had to be intrinsically linked to its location.
Harbours, jetties and boat ramps are structures that would be considered dependent on the coastline because they could not exist elsewhere.
But Duncan said Lorne had many restaurants and there was no need for another at Point Grey.
“It really isn’t adding anything,” he said.
The Lorne Aquatic and Angling Club, which has been earmarked for renewal at Point Grey. Credit: Joe Armao
Duncan said a heritage display or facility that honoured Lorne’s timber, fishing and other commercial industries that previously used Point Grey would better reflect current policies.
But Melbourne University urban planning associate professor Anna Hurlimann said VCAT had also knocked back the development partly due to its size and because it was not the most equitable use of public land.
“If you have to pay for a meal to access that space it’s not very equitable,” she said.
The redevelopment of Point Grey comes under the Geelong City Deal – a plan by the commonwealth and state governments to revitalise the region.
The development was originally costed at about $10 million with the federal government kicking in $8 million, $2 million from the Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority and the angling club pledging $450,000 .
But Point Grey was allocated a further $2 million in February under the Geelong City Deal, bringing the total to $12.6 million.
Lorne Aquatic and Angling Club treasurer John Higgins said the clubhouse was now 60 years old and desperately needed renovation.
Lorne Aquatic and Angling Club treasurer John Higgins. Credit: Joe Armao
“We’re not looking for anything grand,” he said. “We just want something functional.”
He said there should be some kind of restaurant replacing the seafood eatery that opened in the 1986 and operated until this year.
Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority chief executive Jodie Sizer said there were many sites along the Great Ocean Road that may need work in coming years.
“Several areas along the Great Ocean Road are already susceptible to coastal erosion, which is compounded by the impacts of climate change, such as sea level rise, storm damage, erosion and inundation,” she said.
A spokeswoman for the government said it was supporting the authority to develop a new master plan for Point Grey.
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