Start for venue on bay near

JOHN VAN KLAVEREN
A three-year process to secure approval for a fish and chip shop and function centre over Corio Bay at Western Beach is coming to an end, according to its proponent.
Malcolm Ralton said he expected to have approvals for his Geelong Boat House from Department of Sustainability and Environment and Parks Victoria next month.
Mr Ralton said he was hopeful a development hearing panel on June 16 would give him his long-awaited go ahead.
“Then we will need to get a works permit from Parks Victoria and we will be ready to get started,” Mr Ralton said.
“Once people see us in operation I’m sure they’ll be happy with us. We are experienced and responsible operators.
“There has been a lot of support and the concept has generated a lot of interest.”
Mr Ralton said his plans had changed during the lengthy process.
He first proposed a floating fish and chip shop but the facility would now rest on eight 12-metre piles driven into the seabed and protected by a “wave attenuator”.
Safety concerns had forced the change to ensure a stable base for cooking, he said.
The facility would utilise a barge at Western Beach for its platform.
Mr Ralton said the barge was previously used for a floating fish and chip shop on the Yarra River and at Docklands in Melbourne.
Plans lodged with City Hall showed the proposed Corio Bay facility at the western end of Western Beach’s foreshore car park.
The application sought a five-year lease.
The facility could be dismantled within three days, Mr Ralton said.
He had removed a liquor licence component from the application.
Mr Ralton said he would seek event-specific liquor licences.
Several directors of Cunningham Pier complex operator EMC Group are among 10 objectors to the application.
EMC Group director Darren Holroyd confirmed the company would pursue the objection.