Going for broke

By Mara Pattison-Sowden
THERE are fears Warburton could become a “ghost town” if two major developments don’t get up.
Currently one development hangs in the balance while the other is tied up waiting for council approvals.
Together, the Edgewater Resort and Spa and the Ythan Springs Eco-resort were set to bring more than 300 permanent jobs to Warburton, but both are yet to lay their foundations.
Warburton’s former Sanitarium Weetbix factory was set to become a $30 million resort and spa complex from 2005, when the planning minister gave the development formal approval to proceed.
The Edgewater Resort and Spa development would include more than 100 units, a day spa, and a wine and food hub show-casing the best produce from the Yarra Valley.
The former Weetbix factory building also plans to house a restaurant, dining rooms, a major wedding and special occasions function centre, and conference and corporate facilities.
Crockett Group CEO Eric Sward said they still had plans that needed to be approved by Yarra Ranges Council before any building could proceed.
“Since we began we’ve seen a change in planning people who need to be brought up to speed on what we’re doing,” he said.
“We need to let them get a better appreciation for what we want to achieve.”
Mr Sward said the Warburton community had continually been understanding and positive towards the development.
He said the global financial crisis had taken resources away from the developers, but however slowly it may be, development was heading in the right direction.
Yarra Ranges councillor Chris Templer said the Crockett Group was seeking a staged implementation plan.
“While we agree in principle with the concept, we do have some concerns over the staging proposed for the development, especially given that it is such a landmark site for Warburton,” he said.
Cr Templer said the council and local community needed to be comfortable about how the site would look and function if future stages were delayed or did not happen.
Although December this year was supposed to be the revised completion date for the Ythan Springs Eco Resort, work has yet to begin and Eco Resorts Australia spokesman Allan Craig said work didn’t look like beginning anytime soon.
“The developers are waiting for finance. All the permits are in place but they just haven’t come out of the financial crisis,” he said.
Mr Craig said the developers were seeking potential partners but the financial crisis was more complex than first thought.
“The reality is there are no jobs in Warburton. Up in the Millgrove estate there are lots of families who need the jobs and we need something to move this town forward before it becomes a ghost town,” he said.
Cr Templer said work on the 98-room hotel-chalet complex in Martyrs Road must commence by December under a third extension to the planning permit granted by the Shire of Yarra Ranges.
A fourth extension would need to be applied for within three months of the permit expiring.
The project, estimated by the developers to cost between $50 and $60 million, was the subject of a protracted application through the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) following strong opposition from objectors and Yarra Ranges council’s refusal in 2003 to grant a planning permit.
In overturning the council’s decision, VCAT attached a number of conditions to the permit.
Mr Craig said Eco-Resort partners Paul Zaviska and John Stanley remained committed to the project.