MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire Mayor Anthony Marsh will invite a meeting with Planning Minister Sonia Kilkenny expressing growing community concern over a proposed redevelopment of Arthurs Seat Eagle.
The $25 million plan involves expanding the popular tourist attraction including adding a new observation tower, a pedestrian bridge over Arthurs Seat Rd, a function centre, a luge ride attraction and an “experiential interpretive centre” – all of which would be delivered over three stages.
However, a petition launched by “Save our Seat” last October has warned that Arthurs Seat state park was in “grave danger” if the plans went ahead. “Private developers are planning a roller-coaster-style luge as part of a massive tourism redevelopment,” the petition, which has garnered 9678 signatures, read. “This expansion will impact native habitats, interrupt wildlife movement, disturb the tranquillity cherished by locals and visitors, and increase traffic congestion around Arthurs Seat and Dromana.”
As previously reported by The News, Arthurs Seat Eagle CEO Matthew Mulkearns said the masterplan vision resulted from 12 months of extensive research and consultation (Eagle faces uphill journey as community pressure builds, The News 10/12/24). He said his team had acknowledged specific issues including preserving the natural beauty of the state park, mitigating environmental impacts, managing visitor congestion and reducing fire risks.
But “Save Our Seat” spokesperson Kylie Greer rejected this, saying community members have been left in the dark and would be overwhelmingly opposed to the “vast” development. The plans, which were submitted to the state government on September 6 last year, will not go through the council’s usual planning procedures as the proposed upgrade has been deemed a “project of significance” under the Victorian planning provisions and therefore qualifies for “State Project” status.
But amid the community backlash, councillors voted unanimously to move a motion at their 18 December meeting for Cr Marsh to write to Kilkenny “expressing council and resident concern with the proposed development”. The motion also seeks a meeting with the Planning Minister, as well as with Arthurs Seat Eagle proponents and the plans “to facilitate a considered council response to the matter”.
Speaking to The News, Marsh said the motion was in response to “significant community concern being raised with us” particularly in relation to environmental impacts. He said as the plans were currently with the Planning Minister, the council “can’t actually have a formal planning position”. “Obviously we can make resolutions that have a position on it, but not in a planning application sense, because it doesn’t actually come to us.
“We’d like to request a meeting and obviously make sure that that process is a proper one. My understanding is the actual consultation hasn’t opened yet, so it’s early stages, but I guess the council of today decided to flag it early.”
According to council, the ministerial planning processes would allow for a two-week public notice period to review the plans and provide a response. But the shire’s development services manager David Simon, in shire report, said that a two-week public notice period “is simply not an adequate amount of time to review all material to inform a council position”. “It is pertinent that the council is given a fair hearing in the assessment of the proposal,” he said in the report published in December.
“Without the details being released to council early and with no engagement from the Planning Minister or proponents – we will only be left with the two-week window as outlined in the statutory processes.
“I do not think this is acceptable given that it is council who will be left to address residual complaints including traffic issues, noise issues and wildlife issues upon project completion – not the Minister.”
Marsh said he and the shire’s planning director and deputy mayor had a meeting with Mulkearns and while he could not “disclose everything they said … our initial conversations are that they’ve engaged with local community, and they have looked to make amendments to their design – whether they’ve published that yet I’m not sure”.
“I’m hoping that it strikes the right balance. We want to make sure there’s tourism and recreation on the peninsula, but it’s got to strike the right balance,” he said. While he said he could not speak on behalf of Arthurs Seat Eagle, Marsh noted, “It does seem they are trying to tailor the design to accommodate some what they would consider reasonable”.
Arthurs Seat Eagle has established a “community reference group” to “strengthen our community engagement further”. “This dedicated team will collaborate with residents, businesses, and stakeholders throughout the project, fostering transparency and gathering valuable input,” a statement said on the Arthurs Seat Eagle website.
It also noted feedback from its community consultation session on 3 October would be reviewed “to incorporate these priorities into the upgrade plans, ensuring long-term benefits for the community”.
Arthurs Seat Eagle said it had also reengaged leading ecology experts, undertaken further engineering reports, and “refined aspects of the design” in response to community concerns.
First published in the Mornington News – 21 January 2025
