CORA proposal cuts wave pool

THE proponents behind the $350 million CORA (Cape Otway Road) proposal for Modewarre have scaled back their ambitions, announcing they have made a number of significant revisions to the proposal submitted for planning approval.

Earlier this month, the website for the sports training facility was updated with a note that the CORA team had “taken the valuable feedback provided by community and stakeholder groups into consideration” and made several changes to the Concept Master Plan.

The biggest of these is the removal of the surfing wave pool, as well as a reduction in the sizes of the retail village, the sculpture park (which has been relocated) and the permanent water body next to the water body and hotel, and the removal of six caretaker dwellings.

Elements to be relocated include the hotel, the 37 Eco Lodges, the wellness centre and artist in-residence facility.

The previous 48 rural residential lots are now shown as 24 rural residential lots and 24 homestead lodges, and an on-site water treatment plant has been included.

The CORA team says they submitted the revised proposal to the Surf Coast Shire on May 18.

A shire spokesperson confirmed the shire referred the application to Planning Minister Richard Wynne on May 24, with a request that the state government become the planning authority.

“The significant amount of work that has been undertaken by the CORA team in consultation with the community and with council to develop the draft amendment and supporting documentation has ensured that the Concept Master Plan warrants a formal planning scheme amendment,” CORA states.

“Following the minister’s decision about who will be the planning authority, the planning scheme amendment will become public and will be placed on exhibition to the community and stakeholder groups.

“During exhibition, any interested party can make a submission.”