Rondor bid approved

Jessica Benton
City Hall has approved a controversial housing caravan park redevelopment at Barwon Heads.
City of Greater Geelong’s planning committee voted six to one in favour of carving up Rondor Caravan Park for 43 residential allotments.
Ward councillor and planning committee member Andy Richards backed the redevelopment.
“The applicant has done a lot of work with council and other authorities to get the proposal into shape,” he said.
“The original plan was for 45 lots and it’s now 43. Also, the way the lots are set out has markedly changed so no driveways come out onto River Parade and are internal.
“The original plan didn’t save any trees, whereas now it saves quite a lot, The way the development deals with run-off water has also been reworked.”
Cr Richards said he would have preferred the caravan park to stay but the site was zoned residential.
“If I had my way I would have kept the caravan park so families could come and enjoy Barwon Heads but the land is zoned residential and the owner had the right to sell it and the new owner had the right to apply to subdivide.”
Cr Richards vowed to keep a watchful eye on the redevelopment.
Barwon Heads residents and tourists banded together last year to fight the redevelopment plan of Melbourne-based developer Hamptons Development Group.
The plan proposed kicking hundreds of permanent and temporary park residents out of their homes or holiday sites without compensation.
Barwon Heads Association member Judith Brooks said the loss of the park was creating “a genuine sadness” in the town.
“The loss denies a lot of working families a chance to have a decent, inexpensive holiday and there is genuine sympathy within the town for all the park users who are going to lose thousands of dollars,” she said.
“There’s a genuine concern for the way they’ve been treated.”
Ms Brooks said objectors also had environmental concerns about the removal of vegetation and trees.
Objectors have 21 days to submit objections, which could lead to a hearing at the state’s planning tribunal. The permit will be granted automatically in the absence of sufficient objections for a tribunal hearing.