By Kath Gannaway
THE future use of a prime piece of Coldstream real estate is set to go before Yarra Ranges Council on Tuesday, 28 February.
The proposal is to establish an ‘eco village tourist park’ on the nearly 30-hectare site on Maroondah Highway, near the Melba Highway turn-off.
It would see 16 eco cabins, 96 caravan and recreational vehicle sites and 40 camping sites, along with other complementary facilties, established on the high-profile, green-wedge site.
The application by land-owner Rod Spurling was lodged with Yarra Ranges Council in August last year with submissions and petitions being lodged in both opposition to the plan, and in support of it.
Spokesperson for the Coldstream Caravan Park Opposition Group, Ken MacGowan, told the Mail last week that they would be presenting a strong case to council against the development.
Mr MacGowan said the group had grown to over 60 members.
He said the feeling among members was that a caravan/tourist park was not a bad idea, but that for a number of reasons, the proposed site was the wrong location.
He said a loss of visual amenity and of use of what he said was prime agricultural land, were among the group’s concerns.
“You can see it for miles around and it is not in keeping with what you would expect from the entrance to the Yarra Valley,” he said.
“We believe that land zoned for rural pursuits should not be turned into a caravan park.”
Other concerns were the effect on adjoining land-owners in terms of amenity for residential properties along the Station Street boundary, and for farmers and the potential for conflict over baiting, spraying, noise and fertiliser smells.
Mr MacGowan said the group also saw traffic congestion as a major problem with the proposal.
He said a great deal of time, money and effort had gone into developing a plan for Coldstream that would stimulate population growth and make the area more viable for businesses, for the school and for sporting groups.
“They said they want families to come that will enrich the community, and to make housing more affordable so our young people can afford to stay and live here and a caravan park will not provide that,” he said.
Brett Spurling however said the eco park would improve the visual amenity, transforming a blank hill with the planting of 4500 trees.
“We believe we have something here that can be very successful, something the area needs and that will be good for the local area,” Mr Spurling said.
Addressing some of the issues raised by those opposed to the plan, he said the tourist park was an allowed use under the green wedge zoning.
“It won’t add to the economy in terms of the school or the football club, but we have an independent report that has it generating between $1.2 million and $1.5 million to the Coldstream area with use of the local businesses such as the hairdresser, supermarket, doctor, brewery and other services.
“That is in addition to the site fees paid,” Mr Spurling said.
He said road congestion had been a problem for a long time, but that VicRoads had given the proposal a tick.
Mr Spurling said talk that the park would become a permanent residential park was unfounded.
“This is a tourist park, not a caravan park. The length of stay is no more than 30 days and I believe this is one of the things council wants written into the permit.
He said under the proposal, camping would be restricted to the summer months and used for grazing for the remainder of the year.
Mr McGowan said the group was unhappy at the lack of community consultation which he said involved notifying adjoining landowners and an information day he described as “a bit of a fizzer”.
“Fifty-six people turned up, largely opposed to the idea, but there was no real consultation, it was just an information evening,” he said.
Several of the Yarra Ranges councillors did however visit the site last week at the invitation of the Coldstream Caravan Park Opposition Group.
Submissions can be made on the application up until the time it goes to council.
The application can be viewed on the Council website Search ‘YR-2016/833” on eplanning.yarraranges.vic.gov.au.
