Town’s split over Fisho’s eatery bid

Alex de Vos
Torquay is divided over plans for a foreshore restaurant at Fisherman’s Beach.
Surf Coast Ratepayers Association and a councillor have objected to the restaurant in Great Ocean Road Coast Com-mittee’s plan to redevelop the site of Torquay Angling Club.
But Surf Coast’s Mayor and Torquay Commerce and Tourism Association have welcomed the plan.
Ratepayers association spokesperson Spencer Leighton said the organisation had concerns about blurred lines between the coast committee as a public organisation and the restaurant as a private business.
“We’re really against a government body being in competition with people paying rent,” he said.
“We don’t want to appear to be thrashing the coast committee but we’re doubtful a government body should be taking commercial risks.”
Mr Leighton said the association feared that ratepayers would pick up the tab if the restaurant failed.
“We’re a bit worried about them (coast committee) borrowing a load of dough (to build the restaurant) then they go broke and leave the community with the debt,” Mr Leighton said.
“It’s just a bit dodgy.”
Torquay councillor Ron Humphrey slammed the proposed restaurant.
“There are a lot of businesses in the town struggling to survive and putting a restaurant on the foreshore isn’t going to help,” he said.
But Torquay Commerce and Tourism Association’s Julian Sweeney welcomed the new development.
“Torquay is moving ahead pretty rapidly and we’ve got a lot more people coming in,” Mr Sweeney said.
“This will make Torquay more desirable and complement what’s going on in the town.”
Mayor Dean Webster gave the proposal his thumbs up.
“It (the restaurant) is a way of offering a return to the committee to fund the maintenance of our coast.”