With the Councillors at the Surf Coast Shire unanimously voting to grant a notice of decision to grant a permit for the Point Grey precinct redevelopment at their council meeting on Tuesday 23rd of June 2020 albeit subject to 47 various conditions, there is now more certainty as to how to proceed through the next stage of finalising plans and how the conditions will be satisfied.
It’s been a long process to reach this point and the Lorne Aquatic & Angling Club (LAAC) supports the final plans for our building as submitted in the planning application. Our building will be larger incorporating a community area as well as facilities making it more compliant with today’s regulations. It will still have the best views along the Great Ocean Road.
A quick summary of the process has been.
- Over a decade ago “Save our Club” a community campaign was successful to ensure the LAAC would remain standalone from the rest of the Point Grey redevelopment and be located in a similar position to where it is today. It had been initially presented that the Club would be integrated into the one main building.
- Through much consultation over the last two years, our club has achieved significant changes to the initial plans, even though having to work with the triangular overall design as initially submitted by the Architect. These changes included: outcomes that improve the views from within the building by moving the toilet facilities from the front of the building to the rear, eliminating screens that were blocking sea and pier views, removing the roof over the barbecue area and beer garden and re-configuring the internal layouts so it would be operationally more efficient.
- Refer to the Floor Plan for the LAAC.
Many hours of hard work from the LAAC building subcommittee went into achieving these outcomes and our Committee would like to formally acknowledge the great effort and outcomes, especially Ric Addison.
We will now work with GORCC to finalise plans including some of the 48 conditions that have an impact on our club, negotiate a final lease and the funding arrangements where we have agreed to contribute and how to plan for a period during construction while closed.
These funding arrangements include the LAAC contribution of $450,000 from our own funds on top of the $900,000 that was allocated through the Geelong City deal specifically to the build of our club.
In getting to this point, we would like to thank Deputy Mayor Councillor Clive Goldsworthy for proposing amendments to several conditions that will ensure our club will be able to continue as a well patronised community hub and also to Senator Sarah Henderson for ensuring $900,000 of the $8 million in the Geelong City deal was earmarked for the LAAC building.
The LAAC is certainly a community hub for gathering of locals, non-permanent residents of Lorne and visitors and success in recent years has allowed us to provide support for many local worthy causes and this will continue.
Although we expect it will be several years before the new building will open, the committee will be working hard to ensure that when it does reopen that the community spirit, its heritage and ambience is maintained in a building that will be far more modern (as per current plans). However, our committee believes its people and communities that create this environment not buildings.
David Worth
Secretary and Treasurer
Lorne Aquatic and Angling Club
