Caravan park proposed again for Freshwater Creek

AN UNPOPULAR caravan park proposal for Freshwater Creek rejected by the Surf Coast Shire is being put forward again, albeit at a much smaller size.

Last week, the shire advertised that it had received a planning permit application from Graeme Jacobs to resubdivide the Farming Zone land at 350 Coombes Road and 1200 Ghazeepore Road for an $8.5 million camping and caravan park.

The site is the same as the one proposed in 2014 for the 48-hectare Torquay Eco Park, which received 224 objections from the community and had its planning permit refused by the Surf Coast Shire.

The applicants took the matter to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, which upheld the shire’s decision.

According to the latest planning permit application (prepared by NSW firm Habitat Planning), the proposal has a development footprint of 8.5 hectares so would be 82 per cent smaller.

It would contain 33 one-, two- and three-bedroom cabins, 15 powered glamping (safari) tents and 65 powered caravan sites, powered and unpowered camping sites and unpowered overnight stay sites.

This will be supported by amenity blocks, bathrooms, showers, laundry, toilets and indoor and outdoor barbecues/kitchen.

It would also include “a wide range of recreational, leisure facilities and amenities” such as swimming, waterslide and wading pools, a skate park, a BMX track, tennis courts, and a lawn bowls and bocce court.

A shuttle bus service would also be provided “in order to link the park with the nearby Torquay town centre and Surf Coast Highway commercial areas”.

The application states the motivation for building the caravan park is “based on a significant decline in recent years as to the availability of affordable and reasonably priced tourist accommodation on Victoria’s west coast, particularly in Torquay”.

“All available land within the defined settlement boundary of Torquay that could potentially accommodate a larger scale tourist facility has either been converted to residential or commercial use or earmarked to accommodate future urban development, reflecting the highest and best use of urban zoned land.”

According to the notice of application, the shire will not decide on the planning permit before December 27.

To view the application, head to surfcoast.vic.gov.au/Property/Planning-and-Building/Planning/Current-applications.