Cash bid dropped

$2.55m for hub

THE Borough of Queenscliffe has agreed to withdraw from a State Government funding agreement that would have seen the contentious Destination Queenscliff project receive $2.69 million.

A council statement said the borough had agreed to withdraw from the funding agreement subject to the State Government confirming its commitment to reallocate $2.55 million from Destination Queenscliff to the Queenscliff Cultural Hub project.

It said it had written to Regional Development Minister Jaala Pulford and had met Bellarine MP Lisa Neville to advise of its decision.

In August, Ms Neville withdrew $2.69 million in state funding for the project after she was “regularly inundated” with community concerns, including a petition signed by 1000 residents and 28 businesses calling for a “more appropriate use” of the Destination Queenscliff funding.

The council has now resolved to scrap plans for six eco-cabins at the Queenscliff Recreation Reserve and will instead build three additional camping-style cabins to bring the total number of cabins to 10.

“This would be achieved by removing the caretaker’s residence and the two existing older cabins closest to the Monahan Centre, and installing five new cabins similar to the five remaining cabins at the reserve,” a council statement said.

Earlier this month, Corangamite MP Sarah Henderson requested the council replace the eco-cabins in the proposed concept plan with standard camping ground cabins.

Ms Henderson said she had listened “very closely” to community concerns and hoped the borough would scale down plans for five-star eco cabins to camping ground cabins.