Surf Coast Shire Council gives the green light to outdoor dining pilot

Surf Coast Shire hospitality venues may soon be able to expand their outdoor dining areas. HAVE YOUR SAY.

Beach Hotel Ali Stern, [holding Skylar, 17 months], Mark Ramsbottom, hotel owner Jamie Collins, Kahil Williams and Sam Beel sit in the hotel’s expanded dining area in 2021. Picture: Alex Coppel.

Surf Coast diners will have more outdoor dining options after a proposed pilot aiming to beef-up the region’s offering over summer was given the green light.

The Surf Coast Shire Council on Tuesday night voted to host an outdoor dining pilot scheme at the Beach Hotel in Jan Juc, despite the outspoken concerns of councillor Heather Wellington.

Ms Wellington’s concerns arose from the lack of notice given to neighbours of the parklet scheme, the opening hours, as well as the “record time” an application to amend the Beach Hotel’s planning permit was approved.

The application was lodged on October 16 and the change was issued on October 17.

She said it was “appalling governance” that nearby residents had not been told about the upcoming program, and said there were unknowns at the scheme.

Ms Wellington said neighbouring residents to the Beach Hotel had rights to amenity that should not be infringed.

Councillor Gary Allen, who said he had initially planned to vote for the scheme, said Ms Wellington’s concerns raised questions he wanted answers to.

Councillor Libby Stapleton said the point of a pilot program was to test the waters and see if the program would work, and added the Beach Hotel had an incentive to keep things from being too disruptive if the program was to be rolled out shire-wide.

Council officers noted that Victoria Police had ticked off the program.

Ms Wellington attempted to defer the matter to the council’s November meeting, however it was voted down after a debate.
A second attempt to defer the matter to a special meeting failed, as a seconder could not be found.

Ms Wellington said she found council’s unwillingness to defer the motion or find a suitable time to reconsider “very disappointing”.

“Reasonable residential amenity is important and these issues should have been properly considered,” she said.

The motion passed 6-2.

Surf Coast Shire council to vote on outdoor dining pilot at Beach Hotel

Beach Hotel owner Jamie Collins said the program, which had operated during Covid-19 pandemic restrictions, would be a “game-changer” moving forward.

Mr Collins said while it wasn’t needed in the winter, the space worked “really well” and had been extremely popular during the summer.

“It’s perfect in the three or four months over summer … people just love it, families come and people bring their dogs,” Mr Collins said.

“It’s just a great space for people to enjoy the afternoon, a couple of beers and dinner.”

The scheme, called the Parklet Pilot Program, will allow the hotel to have expanded outdoor dining facilities during the summer months.

The Beach Hotel’s expanded outdoor dining parklet was a hit with customers. Picture: Facebook

Existing carparking places will be used for the scheme, with small skip bins transformed into dining areas.

In the winter, the spaces would be turned back into parking.

During the Covid pandemic, the shire implemented a Fresh Air Dining Program to help hospitality venues stay open and comply with the Victorian government’s density limits.

When the program ended some businesses - including the Beach Hotel - asked if the set-up could become a permanent arrangement.

However, the popularity of the system meant there were calls for a more permanent solution to be found.

In February, a petition was lodged with the shire to keep the Beach Hotel’s expanded dining area in the summer.
The petition had garnered more than 1,400 signatures.

Two months later, it was resolved at the shire’s May council meeting that shire officers would work with venues to find a way to make the situation permanent.

Mr Collins said the shire had been “proactive” in working on an arrangement.

“They’ve been really helpful in trying to get this off the ground,” he said.

The pilot program would run from December 1 until March 31.

Following the scheme’s conclusion, the shire would seek feedback from the public before any permanent changes to the shire’s local laws.

Originally published as Surf Coast Shire Council gives the green light to outdoor dining pilot