Wodonga Council staff recommends Junction Place revised master-plan backing

The meeting agenda released yesterday revealed Mesh Planning was brought in to provide independent advice to council officers with a recommendation the master plan be approved.

Progress of the refreshed master plan has been closely watched since the revelation major changes on the former railway land, including a bottle shop potentially replacing a previously approved cinema development on the corner of Elgin Boulevard and Smythe Street, were being pursued.

The bottle shop proposal is part of stage one of the revised plans with a separate application to come to council in February.

One of the major objectors to the bottle shop proposal, former council director Michael Gobel, said he wasn't surprised the master plan had been supported by council staff.

But he hoped a majority of councillors were listening to the strong community opposition and would vote accordingly.

The revised master plan and bottle shop applications were intrinsically linked, according to Mr Gobel.

"The report makes no reference to the strategic intent of the creation of Junction Place," he said.

"It makes no reference to the risk of potential uses like a bottle shop retailer or any other retailer undermining that strategic intent.

"In this regard it lacks balance, which I think councillors are entitled to have.

"The developer has been very tactical in engineering a process that increases the probability of the planning application for a Dan Murphy's to be approved.

"Councillors would be naive in thinking otherwise and need to be mindful of their role as custodians of the vision for Junction Place."

In making their decision on Monday night, Mr Gobel said councillors needed to think of their legacy in holding true to the vision of Junction Place.

"In going against the will of the community they will be complicit in a plan to undermine that vision for the sake of expediency and short-term gain," he said.

"It's unfortunate there wasn't an option in the report that allowed for more certainty to the developer while providing the necessary safeguards against uses that undermine Junction Place as a city heart.

"Such as a bottle shop."

IN OTHER NEWS

The council agenda states: "Officers have recommended that the application is supported, subject to conditions.

"However, if the council refuses the application, the applicant may apply to (the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal) to have the application reviewed.

"This will have some financial implications, in the form of staff time to prepare to defend the decision at VCAT."

The site for a cinema has been changed to land presently used for a temporary car park near High Street.

But on the staged development rollout a cinema will follow a seven-storey hotel on the northern side of the Goods Shed with the historic building to be partly demolished to create a walk-way through to the hotel from the Promenade area.

Meanwhile, councillors have been asked to grant a 12-month extension to developers of a residential-commercial development opposite Junction Place in the area known as CBD West.

Developers Criterion Property bought the land with plans approved for 15 apartments and 10 commercial tenancies earlier this year.

In response to COVID complications, the permit has already been amended to increase the residential component by three with a further request to again increase the number of apartments and reduce commercial areas pending.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: