All made well for centre

By Tania Martin
A TOURISM operator has labelled the approval of an application for a wellness centre in Montrose, a step forward for the region.
Dandenong Ranges Tourism (DRT) information centre manage, Michael Axel said more and more visitors were looking for similar style retreats.
“It’s this sort of development that extends the appeal of the Dandenong Ranges area to a wider cross-section,” he said.
The proposal for a wellness retreat at 14 Mountain Crescent in Montrose, featuring a spa room, and massage-relaxation areas, was approved last Tuesday (14 April) at a meeting of the Shire of Yarra Ranges council.
However, the development has not been without contention after a previous application was rejected by both the council and VCAT.
In December 2007, the council rejected the proposal saying it was an over development of the area.
Since then the applicant has gone back to the drawing board and reduced the size of the proposed centre by 34 per cent, changing the number of treatment rooms from five to two and the number of patrons per day from 15 to eight.
However, objector Christopher Hall said the application was not a great deal different to the original proposal other than creating a smaller footprint.
He said nearby residents still had all the same concerns including increased traffic, noise and adverse impacts on amenity.
But Will Pearce on behalf of the developer said the new centre would have little or no impact on the surrounding area.
He said the developer had taken VCAT’s comments on board and worked with the community to come up with a better outcome.
Mr Pearce said the application had been reduced in size from 400 square metres to 260 square metres.
He said the height of the building was also changed from 8.7 metres to seven metres.
Mr Pearce said the property was surrounded by dense vegetation which would protect any local residents from noise or amenity impacts.
Chandler Ward councillor Graham Warren said it was good to see the developer making a genuine attempt at addressing the issues raised during the previous application.
Mr Axel said the introduction of a wellness centre fits in with the emerging trend in the local tourism industry.
He said the Dandenongs were attracting a new kind of visitor.
“We are now seeing this concept of couples visiting and staying for a romantic weekend away … this sort of pampering, sharing experience is an integral part of that,” Mr Axel said.
“This (wellness centre) is a step in the right direction.”