Community group to design Mud Hut replacement

A COMMUNITY-led panel will help form new design options for a rebuilt Winchelsea Mud Hut after Surf Coast Shire Council took action on a community petition.

The shire voted at last week’s council meeting to establish a project control group that will “develop options for alterations and additions to the proposed design” of the shelter by the end of April.

A community-led group will shortly form to discuss options for the Barwon River site, ideally within the project’s current budget of $185,000.

Winchelsea Ward councillor Heather Wellington supported the step at last Tuesday’s meeting and said she hoped the group would come up with a design that appeased the majority of the town’s residents.

“The group needs to go out to the wider community, and not just rely on the opinions of a few people,” she said.

Cr Wellington also proposed the group investigate renovation of the existing hut, which is presently slated for demolition, as an alternative to the new structure.

Meanwhile, shire chief executive officer Robyn Seymour said the further delay could put at risk a $50,000 contribution towards the project from the federal government.

 

The council would request a further deadline extension to deliver the rebuild under the Local Roads and Community Infrastructure program, after receiving “negative feedback” from earlier deadline blowouts. “It’s reasonable to say we’re under pressure to deliver our project,” Ms Seymour said.

The shire had received a petition with more than 100 signatures at its previous meeting on December 13 last year calling for a new design for a Mud Hut replacement that incorporated natural materials, after a group od residents rejected a “carport”-like metal structure that had been proposed.

The new structure had been due for installation in January this year, but the discovery of bats nesting in the condemned hut delayed the update and created an opportunity for community members to have their say.

The Winchelsea Mud Hut has been closed since June 2021, when the shire started a process to design and build and upgrade for its precinct that also includes an Adventure Play Space and Gathering Space. Difficulty in finding an appropriate tender for the project caused earlier delays.