Bayside Council denies pavilion plan to trump Brighton Lifesaving Club
A COUNCIL in Melbourne’s inner south is denying claims it is more focused on building a lucrative foreshore eatery rather than upgrading an “asbestos riddled” lifesaving club.
Inner South
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BAYSIDE Council has denied claims it is more focused on building a hospitality business at the Dendy Beach Pavilion than upgrading Brighton’s “asbestos riddled” lifesaving club.
The council has pushed ahead with the inclusion of a 60-seat cafe in the final plan for the troubled project.
But its stance clashes with advice it received in a feasibility report delivered by consultants in 2014.
ASBESTOS ‘THREAT’ TO BRIGHTON LIFE SAVING CLUB NIPPERS
RATEPAYERS MILLION SPENT ON DENDY BEACH PAVILION DESPITE NO CONSTRUCTION
NEW LIFESAVING CLUB, CAFE AND MEETING ROOM PLANS STALL AT TRIBUNAL
Documents obtained by the Leader show Eldred Hospitality Pty Ltd advised the council it would be “difficult to create an effective relationship between (Brighton Life Saving Club) … and a commercial business”.
It advised the council should impose conditions on the presentation of the area and that the onus for this would fall on the club.
It also warned the council would need to “strictly enforce those conditions or risk litigation”.
Club president Troy Ross said he just wanted a safe facility for the members.
“If the council scrapped its cafe and just redeveloped the clubhouse, that will be something we’d be absolutely in favour of,” he said.
Bayside environment director Steven White denied the council’s primary focus was to build a hospitality venue at the site.
“Most of the facility (is) designed to meet the needs of the club,” he said.
“The facility has not been designed as a hospitality, function or fine-dining venue.”
The project has hit several road bumps.
The council is locked in a VCAT battle after Aboriginal Victoria knocked back two cultural heritage management plans.
It also copped a hefty clean-up bill from the EPA after asbestos was found at Dendy Beach, and the heritage protection granted to the bathing boxes at the beach has further complicated the upgrade.
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