The owners of the Tower Hotel have withdrawn their appeal to VCAT against the decision by Yarra City Council to reject the application to build a six unit development on the hotel carpark. However, their application to demolish the hotel bottleshop and create 14 apartments on the hotel site has been approved by Yarra Council. More later!
The Orginal Campaign
After a two-year battle, $20,000 of residents' money and countless hours of work by many Alphington people, in November 2000 the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal decided that it would not grant a permit to developers representing the Collingwood Football Club to create a private pokies club at our local pub, The Tower Hotel.
In a decision running to forty-two pages, the Tribunal couldn't find one redeeming feature in Collingwood Football Club's proposal. It said that 'the proposal is not one which is suitable for the subject land, and it is 'not one which we consider to be consistent with the purpose of the zone, nor is it one which is in accordance with or supported by the planning scheme's policies.'
The Tribunal described the Tower as a 'local pub, which can be said to be more akin to servicing a local community need' and described Collingwood's proposal as being 'quite properly categorised as one which has a regional focus and is established to service the needs of the club's membership'.
The Tribunal expressed a lack of confidence in Collingwood's proposed parking and traffic management plan and agreed that its proposal to use Heidelberg Road for parking had been rejected by VicRoads and other councils. The Tribunal said that 'to establish such a facility on land which has a strong interface with the surrounding residential area and the car parking resources are constrained and present difficulties is not in accordance with the orderly and proper planning of the area.'
The decision was a great victory for community values over private interests. It also had the effect of bringing the Alphington community closer together. No developer should 'try it on' in Alphington again without taking note of what happened with The Tower!
About SAFCA
The Tower Hotel c 1890s
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