Lions Village wants backpacker hotel to back off

RESIDENTS at Torquay’s Lions Village are upset about the plan to build a three-storey backpackers’ hotel on land that is less than 20 metres from some residents’ homes.
As reported last month, Baines Torquay have amended their plans for the $22 million commercial development at 85 Geelong Road to add a three-storey hotel with 56 rooms “suitable for backpackers and tourists on a budget” with associated restaurant and bar at the southern end directly behind the Lions Village.
Lorraine Wescott, whose house will be among the closest to the hotel, said she only learned of that element of the development when she read about it in the local press.
Lions Village management committee chair John McDonald said the residents in the village’s 29 units welcomed many other aspects of the development, such as a cinema, medical centre and convenience store, but not a hotel, as it would cause noise and privacy problems.
“They’re horrified. Everybody’s resigned to the fact it’s going to go there – you can’t have a vacant block there, it’s the best site in town – but all we wanted was to keep it reasonable, I suppose, and (a hotel) isn’t reasonable.
“The village lifestyle is all about older people having a safe, pleasant neighbourhood with great facilities and community connections on a site close to the centre of Torquay. This will be totally compromised by a backpackers’ hotel right next door.
“The financial base of the village as a whole is at stake, as unit values are sure to be affected. We are able to offer outstanding benefits to our residents by putting proceeds of unit sales back into lifestyle programs and social support.
“Not only that, many residents rely on the proceeds of the sale of their unit to fund access to aged care when they can no longer live independently. A drop in unit value will have enormous consequences for those residents.”
Lions Club of Torquay president John Bell said a backpackers’ hotel would likely damage the reputation of the Lions Village.
“Lions Club members invested thousands of hours, as well as substantial funds, in establishing the village, seeing the value in having a place in Torquay where local people could enjoy their retirement.
“Lions have continued to give generously of their volunteer hours by providing management expertise for more than 20 years, and the club is very concerned that the whole village operation is threatened by this proposal.”
In their planning report for Baines Capital submitted to the council in March, G2 Urban Planning argues the direction of state and local policy was that the peri-urban area of Torquay-Jan Juc would require “increased commercial and leisure facilities for both its resident population as well as servicing visitors to the Surf Coast”, and the proposal responded to this by using “well-located vacant land for an integrated tourism-focused development that will benefit visiting tourists and residents alike”.