NEWS DESK
Group’s work a load of rubbish
Best Bites awards
On the job: Beach cleaners Karen Post and Brett Lamont with their dog Jack.
NOMINATIONS are open for food businesses to enter Mornington Peninsula Shire's Best Bites awards. The awards look at measures businesses have in place to provide safe and healthy food, use environmentally sustainable business practices and provide safe and accessible food premises. The mayor Cr Graham Pittock said the awards recognised the importance of the peninsula’s food industry. “There are more than 1200 registered food businesses on the peninsula that cater for thousands of customers each day and we encourage them to take part in our Best Bites awards," he said. Businesses can be nominated in the categories of aged care; bed and breakfast/ home-based retailer; cafe; restaurant; school canteen/child care; supermarket; take away; and innovation. Finalists are announced in September followed by the winners in April next year after judges' assessments from October - March. Nomination forms at food@ mornpen.vic.gov.au or call 1300 850 600.
THE beach patrol group 3941Rye aims to help save marine life by removing litter from the beaches and foreshore, as well as promoting litter awareness among members of the community and visitors to Rye. The group had a successful beach clean Saturday 2 July, with 23 volunteers and 11 children – as well as mascots Dixie and Jack. “We collected 286 drink containers and a total of 144kg of rubbish,� organiser Julie Jame said. “3941RYE is the first beach patrol group on the Mornington Peninsula and we were pleased to be joined by a member of the second group: 3941Tootgarook Beach Patrol. “We know many residents collect rubbish on their walks and we would like them to join our volunteer groups or create their own beach patrol group. “That way, the totals of rubbish collected can be sent to Beach Patrol Australia enabling it to lobby governments on our behalf to have deposits on drink containers and fewer damaging products.� The group’s next beach clean is 2pm, Saturday 6 August. Those attending should meet in the car park at Rye pier.
Family directory
‘Car park an improvement’ - developer Stephen Taylor steve@mpnews.com.au ASPIRING Continental hotel developer Julian Gerner is “working very closely with Heritage Victoria and the council over the hotel’s preservation and restoration as an attraction for Sorrento�. Mr Gerner was speaking at a hearing on 23 June to discuss his group’s proposed purchase of the hotel’s off-street car park at 23 Constitution Hill Rd. Acquisition of the $1.8 million block – bought by the council in 1968 and currently providing 18 car spaces – is a crucial factor in the Continental Development Group’s multi-million redevelopment of the 120-year-old property. The 900 square metre block was an informal gravel car park until 2003 when a special charge scheme was approved by Mornington Peninsula Shire for resurfacing as a car park. The scheme also included construction of the council car park off Morce Av, Sorrento. All commercial properties in the Sorrento business area contributed to the cost of construction of both car parks. The block’s sale – as well as a planning application to redevelop the hotel and relevant approvals from Heritage Victoria – are contentious matters raising hackles all over Sorrento. Mr Gerner told the meeting the car park would create access points off Constitution Hill Rd, improve traffic flows and create an extra seven car parking spaces, for a total of 25. He said buildings on the car park would be “kept very low level so as to not overdevelop the area and to protect aspects from Constitution Hill Rd
back to the hotel, including the aspect line from the residential development looking towards the ocean�. Mr Gerner said the block would provide access to underground parking with 58 spaces for hotel guests and residents. The hotel is licensed for 920 patrons. It no longer offers short-term accommodation, with patrons parking in the public car parking area and street. The car park sale is being opposed by Nepean Historical Society and Nepean Conservation Group, whose Wayne Chamley said the shire had made “a terrible error� in its handling of negotiations. “I would like to know the sale process,� he said. “If the current value is $1.8 million, can he [Mr Gerner] put in a bid for $2 million?� Mr Chamley said the application “needed to be contested [by the two groups] for the benefit of council officers into the future so they understand what the leniency is in these decisions about developments over council land�. “It needs to be contested to clarify for stakeholders.� Nepean Historical Society says selling public land to a private owner is “undesirable and unnecessary�. President Joy Kitch said members were concerned about providing public parking on private land over the long term and that the sale of the land “without a long-term plan for parking is short sighted�. “Even if covenants and restrictions as to the use of the land can be written into the terms of sale, we can take no comfort from past experience that these would continue to be enforced in the years to
come,â€? she said. The society is also against the sale of a public asset without public tendering. Council officers say selling the car park “would facilitate a better development outcome of the Continental Hotel and that the funds realised could be reinvested in other capital works projectsâ€?. Chamber of commerce vice-president Marc Clavin said an anonymous letter dropped under Sorrento traders’ doors overnight Wednesday was “given about two seconds’ consideration ‌ because it was unsigned and unnamedâ€?. The two-page letter, seemingly from a disgruntled trader, warns of “significant, detrimental impacts upon business activityâ€? caused by a loss of car parking after the hotel’s 920 guests take up all available spots in commercial areas. The writer warns that underground car parking spaces in the redeveloped hotel “will be grossly insufficientâ€? and that holiday renters, wedding guests staying overnight and business guests staying three or four days mid-week, will fill all vacant spaces in the town’s commercial area. Anticipating lost car parking spaces in the long term, Mr Chamley said: “It does not matter what is designated [in planning conditions] in the future: the fact is possession is 9/10ths of the law. “If the public do not know there are car parking spaces under the new building, then they will not use them and, eventually, it will be seen to be the possession of the hotel residents or day trippers.â€? Council officers will report to the next council meeting on issues raised at the hearing. The council expects to make a decision on the sale of the bock on 25 July.
MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire and Family Life have released an online directory of child and youth agencies and support organisations within the shire. The directory will be updated every six months, and includes links to wellbeing agencies and the National Health Service Directory. The directory includes information about resource providers and how to contact them, and is compatible with mobile phones. The funding for the project was $22,945, with the shire providing $14,211, and Family Life providing the remainder, plus a project officer to develop the site. www.mpchildandyouthdirectory.com.au
Quilters wanted VICTORIAN Quilters will be at the Hastings Library meeting room 9.30am2.30pm Friday 15 July, and 9.30am2.30pm Thursday 21 July at Mornington Library on making quilts as part of the “very snuggly quilt program�. The program donates quilts to children and teens at the Royal Children’s Hospital who have life-threatening illnesses. Anyone is welcome to help out in a range of duties on the day - for an hour or for the entire session. This is an opportunity to try patchworking without having to buy equipment or fabric. No experience is necessary. Participants are invited to bring (but it is not required): sewing machine, scissors, pins; machine handbook and a quarter inch foot; extension lead and power board; and needles for hand sewing. Electrical items must have a current safety test tag attached. Details: ourlibrary.mornpen.vic.gov.au/ About_Us/Our_Libraries
Bookings essential: 5985 2277
THE RYE HOTEL
2415 Point Nepean Road, Rye Beach www.ryehotel.com.au | 5985 2277 Southern Peninsula News 12 July 2016
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