Petition, bats hit brakes on Mud Hut build

A FAMILY of bats could be the unlikely source of a lifeline for community petitioners seeking a last-minute change to designs for a rebuilt Winchelsea Mud Hut.

The Surf Coast Shire is investigating a group of the native winged mammals that have made themselves at home at the closed-off hut, which has put a rebuild for the site on hold.

The delay came after the shire advertised its designs for a renewed Mud Hut, which was due to start construction in January.

But the designs were at odds with community wishes for the popular Barwon River site and quickly sparked a petition calling for a do-over.

“It’s become apparent that somewhere, the consultation with the community didn’t ring true to what the community wanted,” petition organiser Alison Dean said.

She said a chance encounter with the new design had sparked her curiosity, which prompted a social media straw poll that uncovered the community opposition.

 

“I went for a walk one day, saw a picture in front of the hut of the proposal. I was just a bit surprised by the design and asked the community if this is what they wanted.

“It was a simple question, and within a couple of hours I had about 70 replies, saying that ‘no, this isn’t what we wanted’.

“I was overwhelmed by the response [and] asked if I put a petition forward would people sign.

From there I got the petition happening and within a couple of days I had a couple of hundred signatures.”

Key community concerns about the design include ensuring greater weather protection so the hut can be an all-seasons facility, a preference to retain natural materials in the existing hut, and to have greater community involvement in the end product, such as through a locally curated history installation.

The Surf Coast Shire accepted a petition with more than 100 signatures at December’s council meeting, which was collected in a matter of hours at Winchelsea’s Main Street after the original appeal with 424 supporters was found to not comply with council guidelines.

Officers will report back to councilors in 2023 about opportunities to accommodate the requests.

“Options to be developed would require further community engagement for community-led design additions and alterations to the new structure,” the shire’s community life general manager Gail Gatt said.

“There will be likely time delays and cost escalations for variations to the design.”

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.