A multi-million dollar redevelopment of ‘The Old Factory’ in Woodend has been rejected at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal.
Impact on the town’s commercial core, question of genuine tourism draw and the need to maintain industrial areas were key factors in the decision.
Branded a tourist destination, the original plan included a 40-stall market, 100-patron licensed restaurant, tavern for 200 patrons and function centre.
It also sought a waiver of more than 200 parking spaces, which neighbouring residents had slammed as “unacceptable”.
As it stands, the site with vacant shedding has also been labelled “an eyesore”, located in an underutilised industrial area at 30 Brooke Street.
While Macedon Ranges Shire Council planning officers saw potential to breathe new life into the space, in 2020 councillors voted to reject the proposal against their recommendation. VCAT agreed with the refusal.
Minor application changes included a 145sqm reduction in function centre floor area, five additional market stalls and doubling outdoor restaurant seating. But the council submitted there were “more compelling planning reasons to refuse the proposal than to approve it”.
VCAT member Sarah McDonald questioned the level of tourism-draw for the proposal and its impact on the town’s commercial core. She also highlighted the need to “protect and carefully plan industrial areas” in Woodend.
Ms McDonald said the redevelopment, being commercial in nature, “may give rise to potential land-use conflicts with surrounding industrial uses”.
While the applicant argued the development would grow tourism in the town, Ms McDonald said the site was “not well connected to the town to encourage or facilitate this”.
“I am not satisfied that this proposal will protect the commercial/retail core along High Street,” she said.
Ms McDonald was also not convinced of the applicant’s argument for the scale of the economic benefit expected from the proposal.
“I cannot draw the conclusion that this proposal will generate additional visitation to the commercial core of the town in any meaningful way,” she said.
“This proposal places too much emphasis on the general policy to support tourism and tourist developments at the expense of the policies that seek to maintain industrial land for industrial uses and at the expense of reinforcing the commercial/retail core of the township.”
