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Swan Bay Proposal Goes To Mediation

A proposal to build a three storey residential hotel in Rhyll is set for a Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) mediation hearing this week.

By Bass Coast - 28th February 2012 - Back to News

Bass Coast Shire Council’s Planning and Environment Director, Hannah Duncan-Jones, said the mediation was part of a new initiative from VCAT, designed to reduce delays caused by the appeal process.

"At a hearing in January, VCAT directed the affected parties to attend mediation in February, with a four day hearing set to start on 1 August," explained Ms Duncan-Jones.

"This is a mandatory direction from VCAT. It does not provide the opportunity for Council to formally consider any amended plans before the mediation."

The documents provided by the developer for the mediation are conceptual only and detail the following changes:
• The residential hotel is still three storeys; however the number of rooms has reduced from 84 to 49.
• Hotel multi-deck car park has been deleted and replaced with 66 ground level spaces.
• The northern serviced apartments are still two storeys and the number of rooms has reduced from 14 to 10.
• The western serviced apartments are now two storeys and the number of rooms has reduced from 19 to 10.
• The day spa and café have been deleted.
• Total number of car spaces in the development is now 98 and parking is more dispersed throughout the site

Copies of these plans have been circulated to Rhyll Raid Inc and other affected parties.

Ms Duncan-Jones said that at this stage, these plans did not provide enough information to fully assess the changes or determine if the development was appropriate for the site.

"If the applicant intends to rely on the amended plans at the August hearing, then they will need to supply Council with a full set of plans by 11 June 2012. They also have to provide an electronic copy that we can display on our website. There is no trigger through this process for the proposal to return to Council for a decision. However, we will have the opportunity to present the plans to Council so they can direct planning staff on how to proceed at the VCAT hearing in August."

Source: www.gippsland.com

Published by: news@gippsland.com

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