Cowes west residents predict another summer of car parking “nightmares”, after Bass Coast Shire councillors last week failed to support increased parking at a Cowes foreshore caravan park.

Councillors voted in support of a $900,000 upgrade to the Phillip Island Beachfront Holiday Park at 164 Church Street, but did not support the proposed construction of four glamping buildings on the foreshore, also voting to move a swimming pool and jumping pillow to a quieter area after resident noise concerns.

The development – which received 22 objections – will also remove up to 20 significant, healthy natives.

However the development will include 12 new ensuites, studio units – totalling about 270 sites – but just 17 new car parks, which surrounding residents object to, critical of insufficient car parking each peak season.

While councillors promised there would be increased patrols of the park by by-laws officers and police, Rhonda Barnett said she had no faith in the promise.

“I am concerned that it will be the usual horrific nightmare for locals year around,” Rhonda said, adding there was no car parking for guests or staff. There was the usual promise of by-laws officers and police. It is a smokescreen by the council. The promise will not happen.

“There will be parking in side streets day and night, disturbing residents. There was no care or consideration for surrounding residents. It should be the caravan park taking the responsibility for their car parking within the park.”

She said the approval also included no car parking signs to protect local residents.

“The caravan site is getting too greedy and is overpopulating the site;  not properly accommodating either their customers or the local community,” Rhonda said.

She welcomed the removal of the glamping structures from the plans and the new location for the pool and jumping cushion, but said she was sad to see trees would still be removed.

Cr Michael Whelan said he opposed glamping sites on the foreshore.

“In other areas we are trying to move people away from foreshore encroachment, yet here the plan encourages it,” he said, adding he hoped by-laws officers would enforce parking restrictions this summer.

Cr Bruce Kent – who is also a police officer – agreed saying he had received a lot of calls on parking problems.

“I’m sure local police will come down hard,” he said.

VCAT

Councillors last week did not mention the proposed VCAT hearing regarding the park’s plans, other than acknowledging the shire would advise the tribunal of its decision to recommend approval.

In October, the then-management Across Australia Parks and Resorts (AAPR) announced it would take Bass Coast Shire to VCAT, after they said the shire failed to grant a planning permit within the prescribed time.

The park is on Crown land, so AAPR were effectively taking their landlords – the shire – to VCAT.

Earlier this month it was announced the NSW-based car organisation, the NRMA, had acquired the lease from AAPR.

An NRMA Parks and Resorts spokesperson said the NRMA would be required to maintain all existing lease requirements including financials.

“We will be reviewing the DA (planning permit) and the objections lodged by the community and will be developing an updated approach taking into account the current status. We are still working through this given we have only just taken on the lease,” the spokesperson said.

Under a lease agreement signed in 2018, the former caravan park lessees the Currans, (who took over tenancy of the Church Street property in 1995), requested their lease be transferred to Across Australia Parks and Resorts, with no public tender process.

The Currans secured a new 21-year lease in July 2015 with an initial annual rent of $255,000.

According to the shire, the lease did not go out to tender at the time because no submissions were received after the lease was publicly advertised in 2015.

A shire spokesman confirmed the NRMA acquired the caravan park from AAPR with the approval of council and the Minister responsible for Crown land.

“There was no opportunity for a tender due to no break in the lease and the change of management has no impact on the planning permit application or the VCAT appeal.”