By PETER DOUGLAS
THE Burnham Beeches redevelopment has now reached exhibition stage, thanks largely to developers scrapping plans for 80 villas to be constructed on the site.
At Yarra Ranges Council’s meeting on Tuesday 26 April, council passed a revised planning scheme amendment, which will enable celebrity chef Shannon Bennett and co-developer Adam Garrison the chance to reach stage two of their redevelopment plans.
This includes the refurbishment of the much-loved, historic mansion.
The redevelopment has come under close scrutiny from various community groups and nearby residents, most notably over the original proposal which included building villas.
The villas were to be sold as investment properties to raise funds for the overall development.
However, council unanimously rejected that proposal in August last year.
In supporting the revised proposal, Mr Garrison said he and Mr Bennett wanted to see the project flourish.
“We’ve worked very hard to try and rejig our proposal,” he said.
“As you’d be aware, the property has been vacant and derelict for over 25 years … it will not work to renovate the building as a hotel unless there are other activities.
“One cafe cannot support the operation.”
Co-developer Mr Bennett acknowledged there were issues to be addressed during the exhibition stage.
“With such an exciting development, there’s always going to be issues, we’re here to work through it,” he said.
“It’s an exciting development to come because there’s nothing like this in Victoria.
“This building deserves to be restored … deserves to be classified as one of Victoria’s best boutique hotels.”
He acknowledged parking was a main concern.
“We’ve got problems with parking … a lot of it’s attributed to the fact there’s a million and a quarter people visiting the (neighbouring) Alfred Nicholas (Memorial) Gardens each year.
“We’ve got to work through that … there’s more information to come and we will continue to workshop.”
Indeed, it appears there is much to work through, with numerous objectors still unsatisfied.
These include concerns about traffic management, parking, caps on patrons, and potential risks during high-fire danger days.
Speaking on behalf of various groups, including the Save the Dandenongs League, Betty Marsden said much work lay ahead.
“We think this is a better application than the last one, we do feel it’s a better development,” she said.
“We’re not happy with the removal of caps on number of patrons … we feel that it’s too open-ended.
“We haven’t had information about the traffic, there are numerous things (to which) we don’t know the answer.
“Parking out in Sherbrooke Road, it’s been absolute chaos there on a few occasions.”
Burnham Beeches Preservation Group secretary Kathryn Nauta said the potential impact on locals was huge.
“There are concerns about possible traffic gridlock in Sherbrooke Road, as well as fire safety issues and many other questions,” she said.
“There’s broad support for the visionary makeover of the site, but if the developers are genuine about preserving its history and heritage, and taking local people forward with them, then they need to start talking to us.”
Meanwhile, Cr Noel Cliff said the exhibition stage now presented the chance to get this redevelopment moving in the right direction.
“If we do not do something about it, one day we’re going to be told it’s gone too far and it’s got to be bulldozed,” he said.
“We are not approving tonight … we’re not giving any permits tonight … it’s going up for exhibition.
“We can start to assess what the problems are with parking, which are gigantic … there are issues, whether they’re tied to Burnham Beeches, or tied to next door, or a combination … it’s a chance to hear from the residents.”
This sentiment won support from Cr Len Cox, who said the present proposal was streets ahead in terms of previous proposals.
“I can remember at least four developers previous to the current owners and they (their proposals) weren’t acceptable,” he said.
