Residents say council was ‘hoodwinked’ by Barwon Heads riverside mansion plans

Angry Barwon Heads residents have accused council of being ‘hoodwinked’ by a new amendment to plans for a multimillion-dollar riverside home.

More than 65 people were at the meeting, where council representatives were met with vocal disapproval.

Residents claim Geelong’s council has been “hoodwinked”, after the owners of a controversial mega mansion planned for Barwon Heads asked to add another storey to the riverside site.

Initial plans for the $27m project – to be built four blocks on Talbot St and Paringa Ln – were approved in February 2023 and did not require public consultation as a “single dwelling or a single lot”.

The initial approved plan included two storeys and a basement level with seven living areas, a cinema, elevator and golf simulator.

The revised plan contains 27 amendments, includes the addition of a third storey, updated inundation levels and modifications to the boat ramp and boundary fence.

The development was discussed at the Barwon Heads Association general meeting on Sunday, which was attended by Greater Geelong chief executive officer Ali Wastie, Connewarre Ward councillor Elise Wilkinson and Greater Geelong manager of city development Joanne Van Slageren.

Renders of the Barwon Heads mansion planned for 2A Talbot St and 4-8 Paringa Ln

More than 65 locals attended the meeting, with Ms Wastie acknowledging at the outset that most had come to discuss the mansion.

“It’s the planning matter that we’re all here for,” she said.

Ms Van Slageren began with an explanation of why the initial plans were not advertised and why the seawall plans were approved.

“The planning process is a very legislative process, there are a lot of rules,” she said.

Plans for the site’s seawall were advertised in November last year.

While council received 53 complaints, no one took the application to VCAT.

Plans for an additional storey, which increase the height of the building to 11m, were advertised for public consultation earlier this month.

“Amendments are allowed,” she said.

“The scale of the amendments are what you consider.”

The home would sit on the banks of the Barwon.

In response, the room erupted in disapproval, with many interjecting.

One resident stood up to say the neighbours had all seen the plans for this third storey on the architect’s website when the owners had only put in an application for two storeys, showing they had been planning this extension from the beginning.

“The thing they’ve now put in on the application, they’ve planned from the start,” he said.

“It’s undermining our planning processes.”

Another resident stood up and said neighbours were unhappy that it seemed they could “do nothing” to stop such a big development in their street.

“In our humble opinion we feel the council has been hoodwinked,” she said.

“I quote the architect on the project who sat in our living room and said: ‘the whole riverfront will be able to be developed once this is approved’.

“And this is just what our village does not want.”

Ms Van Slageren said while she could understand residents’ concerns, the city had followed process.

“Our staff have not been hoodwinked, I have very capable planners on my team,” she said.

“It is one dwelling on one lot.”

“And we can’t stop them from applying for amendments.”

Her comments were met by another uproar of disapproval.

The $27m site has a total area of 1553 sqm. The current application for a third story is currently advertised and accepting submissions until April 2.

Originally published as Residents say council was ‘hoodwinked’ by Barwon Heads riverside mansion plans