Moorooduc tourist hub wins permit
Mark Tesoriero
05May08
THE Moorooduc Coolstores complex is poised to become a tourist and entertainment hub after a development assessment committee unanimously backed a redevelopment plan.
The relief was palpable as Mornington Peninsula Shire Council committee members voted to back a planning permit, and its related amendment, for the Moorooduc Highway site.
Watsons Ward councillor Aldona Martin said the application process had been a "rollercoaster ride".
"This has been a marathon and I thank you for running this race with me," Cr Martin said.
"I see this redevelopment as a major aesthetic improvement and that the proposed operation of the centre will provide benefits to the local community ... through employment opportunities and, in the longer term, economic, social and cultural benefits to the whole region."
A council report said the site was a "gateway landmark" for visitors and would become "an integrated tourist, food, leisure and entertainment centre".
Plans shows a 33 per cent increase in the existing floor area to 3082sq m.
The increase will provide a larger outdoor area for entertainment venue, the Peninsula Lounge.
It also includes development of a new building to house a wine and food centre, visitor information facilities, public conveniences and a community radio station.
Cr Martin said the redevelopment was "sensitive" to the historic and cultural values of the site and would provide a "very substantial buffer of vegetative screening".
"(This) has enormous potential to become a most successful integrated tourist, food, leisure and entertainment centre, catering to a broad range of market segments," she said.
