Beach Hotel to run parklet pilot

A POPULAR space outside Jan Juc’s Beach Hotel will return this summer as part of a pilot to determine if the initiative should be rolled out across the Surf Coast Shire.

At their meeting last night (Tuesday, October 24), a majority of councillors endorsed the Parklet Pilot Program with The Beach Hotel, which is able to transform four kerbside car parks into a street hospitality space from December 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024.

It is dependent on the hotel entering a licence agreement which covers amenity, insurance, safety and accessibility requirements, while the hotel also needs to meet any relevant planning requirements.

Community input will be sought on the pilot over summer and beyond.

It will help inform whether a permanent parklet program and guidelines should be incorporated into the shire’s Local Law, so more of the outdoor dining spaces can be considered across the shire.

Cr Rose Hodge is looking forward to hearing feedback about the pilot from locals and visitors.

“We heard loud and clear through a petition with more than 1,400 signatures that people wanted to see the return of outdoor dining at The Beach Hotel, which popped up during the pandemic as the council helped the pub – and 45 other local businesses – navigate density limits,” she said.

“It’s great that we’ve listened to the community and given the green light to this pilot program.

“I encourage people to let us know their thoughts again when it’s up and running.”

Cr Heather Wellington voted against the motion.

In an email to this newspaper after the meeting, she explained her vote was because she had several concerns with the pilot program, including the 7am-10pm opening hours, allowing the service of alcohol without food, and a lack of consultation with nearby residents.

“There is clear potential for significant amenity impact as the hotel is at the interface of a residential area,” she said.

“The needs of the small number of residents appear to have been ignored.”

People will be able to provide feedback in a short survey, which can be accessed through QR codes in the parklet and other Jan Juc businesses, or the shire’s Your Say webpage at surfcoast.vic.gov.au/YourSay