No room at inn

By Tania Martin
A BID for extra tourism accommodation at the historic Burnham Beeches Estate in Sherbrooke has been slammed as ‘outrageous.’
Residents and councillors fear the proposed development would turn the forest environment into suburbia.
But developers last week told the Mail they were now re-evaluating the proposal.
The latest application is an extension of the $6 million refurbishment of the historic hotel.
In 2005 the Shire of Yarra Ranges approved an application for the upgrade which included returning the 1930s estate to its former glory.
Developers last December applied for a permit to build an additional 60 dwellings including single, double and three storey buildings.
Streeton Ward councillor Noel Cliff said the application was ‘outrageous’.
“It’s like moving Knox City or Lakeside Pakenham and dumping it in the middle of the forest,” he said.
Save the Dandenongs League president Betty Marsden said the development would equate to dropping a small village into the heart of Sherbrooke.
Ms Marsden said it would be totally unsuitable for the area.
“It’s ridiculous. The bushfires this year have shown the Dandenongs are already over populated and we don’t need another large development like this near the tourist road,” she said.
But this is not the first time the redevelopment has created a stir.
In June 2007, the council was left with egg on its face after shire officers approved a 47-lot subdivision of the land without consulting the community.
Following this latest application, the council requested extra information on the proposed development last December.
Shire spokesman James Martin said the council needed clarity on how the new 60 dwellings would relate to the existing approved tourism accommodation.
The council is still waiting on that information and the developer has just a week to respond before the 31 August deadline.
Cr Cliff said there was no way the council would approve the development in its current form.
“All hell would break loose if we looked at this as a serious application,” he said.
“It’s all in limbo at the moment until they get back to us and they have until the end of the month.”
But Burnham Beeches Estate investor Neil White said the developer had put its plans on hold because of the current economic crisis.
“We are re-looking at where we sit with the project,” he said.
Cr Cliff said all the application had achieved was creating uproar in the local community.