PLANS have been unveiled for a remodelled $14 million marina development that would transform the gateway to Mildura from New South Wales.
The proposal is a “watered-down” version of the original $40 million blueprint, which included resort-style accommodation, a convention centre, surrounding apartments and a bus terminal, to be the centrepiece of Mildura Marina.
The latest plan is for a 300sq m convention and wedding centre, along with a food-and-beverage outlet on the waterfront and 28 adjacent two-storey apartments.
The consortium behind the plan, led by prominent local developer John Kelly, said it was “the only viable option” to activating the long-dormant prime land in the marina.
“This is the only plan that will bring a return, and based on the opinions of surrounding residents, it’s largely what they want too,” Mr Kelly said.
“There’s clearly a market for holding business conventions here, and we already have a fair amount of (buying) interest in the apartments. We just need the council to approve it now.”
It’s been nearly two decades since development plans were first released for the marina.
However, numerous plans since then by developers – including from a different John Kelly more than a decade ago – have stalled due to unexpected events such as the global financial crisis.
“There were also modifications where the council ummed and ahhed about it and nothing was done,” Mr Kelly, the current joint land owner, said.
“Every year we de-tune the plan, we miss the best time to build it.”
The latest plan was first sent to the council for approval in October 2021, but it’s since been delayed by red tape.
“The council needs to process applications quickly, efficiently and then promote it – not find ways to stop it,” Mr Kelly said.
According to a council spokesperson, the delays were caused by a “lack of required information from the applicant”.
“We requested this required information on two occasions, and in both instances the applicant asked for extensions of time, which were granted, but resulted in lengthy delays to the application process,” the spokesperson said.
However, the consortium’s planning consultant, Roy Costa, said the requested reports were already approved from earlier plans and “sitting with council”.
“The delay was caused by the council’s requested further information that was not warranted,“ Mr Costa said.
Mr Kelly’s development team is now pushing to get the plan to go before a council meeting as soon as possible because “the delays are proving costly”.
However, the council spokesperson said it was still being assessed by one of its external town planning consultants – three months after the public consultation processed ended.
There were only two responses to the proposal, both of which supported the overall development but raised concerns about traffic flow.
“We have already done a traffic report and management plan for the development,” Mr Costa said.
“The bigger development would have generated three times more traffic movements in it compared to this one.”
Mayor Liam Wood said he wanted to see the original plan for five-star accommodation put in place on the blue-chip piece of real estate.
“At the forefront of most conversations now is that the region is going ahead in leaps and bounds and we’re actually feeling pinch points now with accommodation and convention centre needs,” Cr Wood said.
“I very much invite the right type of development in Mildura. But the issue is how do we make this the best possible outcome for the community?
“That is an amazing piece of land at the marina. We want to see it built right in the first place.”
Sunraysia Daily then pointed out to Cr Wood that Mr Kelly said the latest plan was the only “viable” option for his consortium.
“Experts have done the maths and there’s a big gap in the (accommodation) market here without a five-star hotel,” Cr Wood said.
“In all honesty, I think the marina is the best possible spot for one. It could be something great and that’s why we all need to work together on a plan for it.”
Cr Glenn Milne said he wrote to council management in December requesting that the marina proposal was dealt with at a council meeting “as quickly as possible”.
“I haven’t had a response yet, but my view is that something needs to be done as soon as we can to improve the look of the marina.”
“It’s the entrance to our area and it looks terrible.
“This latest plan has merit. We need to look at what’s on offer and try to make a decision one way or the other because it must frustrate people looking across (to the marina) and seeing a bare paddock.
“My view is that we need to be processing applications as quick as we possibly can and not holding up development, particularly in the marina area.”
‘Anti-development’ stance builds ‘road blocks’
JOHN Kelly is one of Sunraysia’s most experienced developers.
After more than four decades working in the property industry, he has rarely seen a council as “anti-development” as Mildura, where he says there are more “road blocks” than green lights.
Mr Kelly this week became the latest of the region’s developers to deliver a damning report card on the council’s town-planning performance.
On the heels of two other respected long-time Sunraysia developers – Larry Dimasi and Bob Faulkhead – complaining about the council’s lack of planning foresight and progress, Mr Kelly said that Mildura ranked a “lonely last” of the six councils he does development business with.
“I do work in five other municipalities in Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia and I don’t have the trouble that I do with Mildura Council,” Mr Kelly said.
“I can sit down with a planner at each of the other councils and they’d say, ‘That’s not right, neither is that, but do this, this and this and get it back to me’ and then it’s processed in the appropriate time.
“At the end of the day, Mildura Council should be aiming to promote development because that is what generates the money for them to spend with rates.
“At the moment, they are putting up too many road blocks.”
One of Mr Kelly’s latest projects is a $14 million development at Mildura Marina.
He is part of a consortium that has been trying to get the plan approved by the council’s planners since October 2021.
Latest data shows that only half of planning applications were determined by the council within the required 60 days in late 2022.
The council blames staff shortages for the lengthy delays. Last month there were four vacancies in council’s statutory planning department.
The three abovementioned developers, along with leading local planning consultant Roy Costa, have each pleaded with the council to release more land for residential and light-industrial development to cope with the high demand.
The industry experts say “there’s no land left” for development in Mildura’s urban areas.
But in a letter to Sunraysia Daily just over a week ago, Mildura councillor Stefano de Pieri said it was “quite inaccurate to say we are running out of land for housing construction”.
“To my knowledge, after two years on council, nothing could be further from the truth. Why would we be loath to approve more land? It just makes no sense,” said Cr de Pieri, who is responsible for the economic development portfolio.
“We also plan to undertake an industrial land study, which further assists in releasing land for development if required.”
He added: “Going forward, with interest rates going up and wages stagnating, I fail to see a big housing boom ahead.
“Add to this … the shortage of skilled labour and cost of building materials, and I cannot see how we can possibly be running out of land.”
But Mr Kelly hit back: “Cr de Pieri needs to recognise that this issue has rightly been highlighted by planning experts.
“Aside from the residential concerns, there’s no industrial land left.
“We’ve got a proposal for a massive distribution outlet to build here – but there’s nowhere to build it.
“The only place we can go where there’s suitable land for it is where it’s not zoned. So, we’re going to end up losing it.”
Several local industry experts are calling for a public forum to discuss their planning concerns with the council and interested residents.
Mayor Liam Wood said he supported a regular meeting between the council’s planning team and independent planners to thrash out issues and concerns.
“There can’t be an us-against-them mentality,” he said.
Sunraysia Daily pointed out there was clearly a great divide between both parties.
“I totally understand that. It’s my role to try to help improve those relationships,” Cr Wood said.
“It’s a work in progress.”
