By Jessica Micallef
Macedon Ranges councillors have knocked back a planning permit application to build a retail premises in an industrial zone in Woodend.
The application proposed to redevelop an existing building at 30 Brooke Street, Woodend into a retail premises consisting of a market, restaurant, bar, function centre and office space.
It also requested a liquor licence for the restaurant, function centre and bar, a reduction in car parking spaces in the area and the removal of five council-owned blue gum trees along Brooke Street.
The council received several objections to the redevelopment which stated the proposal was at odds with the character of the town.
Cr Jennifer Anderson said the application was “very complex”.
“This proposal … is going to affect the amenity of the land in terms of traffic, parking [and] the issues of noise,” she said.
“Parking is a big issue. There is a large amount of parking to be waived that is going to have to occur in the surrounding streets.”
The application proposed varied hours of operation and patron numbers, depending on the facility.
The function centre could have held up to 365 individuals and on request, be open until 1am on weekend evenings.
Cr Anderson said the proposed operation hours were a concern.
“The area is thought to be quite safe by residents and quiet. They enjoy being next to an industrial zone because it doesn’t cause them too many troubles because the hours of operations are really during business hours during the week,” she said.
“This development proposes much longer hours and on the weekend, which is a big change to this area.
“If it did operate throughout all those hours … depending on the day of the week, potentially you could have 500 or 600 people on site at one time and that is a huge demand for parking.
“This … is an over-development of the site.”
Councillors Anderson, Mandi Mees, Natasha Gayfer, Bill West, Helen Radnedge and Andrew Twaits voted to reject the proposal.
Councillors Roger Jukes and Henry Bleeck voted in favour of the proposal.
