CORA documents released

MORE detail has been shared on the proposed Cape Otway Road Australia (CORA) sports training precinct, with the state government publicly releasing documents about the project.

To be built near Moriac, the facility will contain a sports science, innovation and education hub, sports fields with four and five-star accommodation, including 37 eco-lodges and a 128-room hotel.

CORA will also contain a wellness centre, retail village with fine and casual dining, art gallery, sculpture park, farmers’ market venue, childcare centre, micro-brewery, office, 24 rural residential lots, 24 homestead lodges (some for staff accommodation) and a sewerage treatment plant.

The Cape Otway Road Development Advisory Committee (CORADAC) was due to complete its first stage – an initial assessment of material provided by the proponent to consider whether it has strategic justification – by Wednesday, April 17.

The documents, uploaded to the CORADAC website last week, include a supporting letter from G21, a strategic justification for the project prepared by IO Consulting Group, and a business case prepared by Ernst and Young on behalf of Regional Development Victoria.

The business case suggests CORA has a capital cost of $352 million and will result in a positive net operating position of $893.85 million over a 20-year period.

However, this business case is for the initial full proposal, not the scaled-down version submitted to the Surf Coast Shire in May 2018 that does not contain the surfing wave pool and reduces the sizes of the retail village and sculpture park, so the cost and benefits of this version would be smaller.

The supporting letter, sent by G21 chief executive office Elaine Carbines on March 21 this year, states G21 sees CORA as “a unique project with clear state, regional and local benefits”.

“CORA would be the only such facility in the Southern Hemisphere and we have no doubt it will bring enormous economic, social and environmental benefits for our region.”

If the Victorian Planning Minister is satisfied that the proposal has sufficient strategic justification, it will proceed to stage 2 – a public exhibition of the proposal and any associated planning scheme amendments.

To read the documents, head to planning.vic.gov.au/panels-and-committees/browse-panelsand- committees and click on “Cape Otway Road Australia Development Advisory Committee”.