AN overflow carpark at the popular Peninsula Hot Springs, which was shut down by Mornington Peninsula Shire councillors last month after not having proper permits, is still allegedly being used.
The spa and wellness centre in Fingal had made a formal planning application to the shire to continue using the carpark at 170 Devonport Drive even though it had been operating without a permit for the past four years when the existing car park reached capacity, with access via Springs Lane. But the proposal was rejected unanimously by councillors at their 17 December meeting after facing a community backlash, with their decision also going against council’s management’s recommendation to approve a permit despite the application attracting 66 objections.
Just weeks later, hundreds of cars could be seen on a hot day using the overflow carpark space with a sign saying “more parking this way” after the regular car park, which has 184 spaces and an additional 52 spaces for accommodation, had reached its capacity.
The application for the unpermitted carpark was for 106 staff parking spaces and 348 overflow parking spaces, including for events and festivals. A resident showed The News a confirmation letter from the shire that a refusal to grant a permit for the carpark was issued on 20 December. The resident said they did not see any council officers at the site enforcing the ban of the overflow carpark. The shire and the Peninsula Hot Springs have been contacted regarding the unauthorised use of the carpark.
Several residents voiced their opposition to the proposal during the council meeting including concerns of impacts to amenity, increased traffic, noise levels, and disrupting the peaceful character of the area, as well as effects to the green wedge zone. They also had concerns about removal of vegetation, environmental and wildlife impacts, and light pollution impacts.
“We can hear patrons laughing and yelling throughout the night; scheduled concerts, festivals and movie nights can be heard within our homes,” resident Elizabeth Stigter said.
“These last five years of increased patronage due to the access to the overflow car park clearly demonstrate the effect additional patron numbers have had on the amenity of Fingal,” she said.
The Peninsula Hot Springs’ development manager Karl Vaitiekunas was put under pressure by councillors with several questions during the meeting in which he conceded the overflow carpark had been used “informally for the last few years” and “now is the time to use the right approach”.
In response to a question about “why is it taking you so long” to seek a formal permit for the overflow carpark, Vaitiekunas said, “That’s a really, really good question”. “I’ve been at the hot springs since October last year, and I think there’s been a procedure in place to remedy and formalise, and I believe there’s been infringements for the misuse of that area,” he said. “We want to do it properly. That overflow carpark has been used because otherwise these cars are on Springs Lane or elsewhere, creating havoc or hazards so we believe that overflow carpark has been beneficial throughout this period, at least for that management of cars and for safety.”
Vaitiekunas said by council approving the permit, “we would have a very strong opportunity to continue the current volume of cars that we do not intend to change or intensify”, noting the venue attracted up to 800 to a thousand patrons per day at different times with the last Awaken Festival having drawn 800 people.
Deputy Mayor Paul Pingiaro asked Vaitiekunas about the business taking the “right approach” and “what’s going to stop you” from using the overflow carpark for events to which Vaitiekunas said there “is a process for accountability and we have that at the hot springs”. “Yes, it hasn’t been in existence previously, but there’s been significantly far more engagement with council … we acknowledge that it hasn’t been exactly to the letter of what council would typically require, so we’re remediating that situation”.
Residents in the meeting’s gallery clapped the councillors’ decision to reject the application.
One resident said their quiet amenity would “be lost” had a permit been allowed while Michael Stephens, chair of Moonah Links Estate, said there had been “substantial increase in traffic volumes” with the previous Awaken Festival held at the hot springs seeing a “full time traffic management and speed regulation” on Springs Lane and Browns Rd.
“It is time this council and its planning department held them (Peninsula Hot Springs) to account when it comes to upholding the principles of the council’s own Green Wedge management plan of 2019,” Stephens said. Another resident said an increase in traffic would pose a serious safety risk in the event of a major fire with cars “competing for space on roads”, while another pointed out that Devonport Drive had already been used as an access point with no monitoring from council.
Cr David Gill said while the hot springs was an important economic driver for the region there was a “growth problem” which required reviewing, as well as the council issuing secondary consents or amendments to the hot springs’ planning permit which had been extended by 31 years, which he described as “almost unheard of”. “For some reason we’ve extended and extended this one, which means that you’re not really going back to the base, and the base is, is it acceptable?” Cr Gill said. “I think that matters have got out of kilter with what a planning permit should be.”
Cr Bruce Ranken addressed the community concerns, emphasising the importance of balancing tourism and the needs of residents. “I think we need to work with the residents a little more, particularly around the noise and the other components … the bushfire and the traffic management, particularly around the big events,” he said. “So, I think going forward, how do we do it together better?”
First published in the Mornington News – 7 January 2025
