From ‘eyesore’ to community hub

Dimboola community leaders will ramp up redevelopment of a vacant block long labelled an ‘eyesore’ after securing a planning permit from Hindmarsh Shire Council.

Dimboola Arts Incorporated is leading the charge to create an ‘open community arts and reflection space’ on the site of the former Dimboola Hotel, which was gutted by fire in 2003.

The site, on the corner of Lloyd and Lochiel streets, has a contentious history, but Dimboola Arts Incorporated committee member Stoph Pilmore said the community was looking forward to a fresh start.

The committee won $200,000 through the State Government’s Pick My Project program to create a new community space at the site.

Among the group’s plans is an art gallery, outdoor cinema and market.

Mr Pilmore said the project was specifically developed to attract Pick My Project funding.

“We took the opportunity to try to create something positive in the vacant space,” he said.

“We think it’s going to be fantastic for Dimboola residents as well as visitors to our community.”

The plan involves building a kiosk and two pergolas, along with the installation of a mobile movie screen.

Outdoor seating will define areas and separate functions.

The development will be constructed in several stages and host a wide range of community activities.

“The use of the space will be all things anyone can create and come up with,” Mr Pilmore said.

“We might get a yoga teacher who wants to teach yoga or we might have a muso who wants to do a song-writing workshop.

“The possibilities are endless.”

He said he expected an outdoor cinema to be popular with families.

Project leaders have done costings and designs, with work to get underway quickly following the granting of the planning permit.

“There will be a working bee to clean up the site at the weekend and we also need to complete a small drainage project,” Mr Pilmore said.

“Now that we have the planning permit, everything is starting to align pretty quickly.”

Tight deadlines

Mr Pilmore said due to tight deadlines, the planning process had been kept within the confines of the committee.

“Sometimes you can have too much input and if you were going to ask everyone in the community about their thoughts you’d be going to and fro between everyone’s opinions and it’d never get built,” he said.

“In saying that, we think we have a good cross section of the community represented on our committee.”

Hindmarsh mayor Rob Gersch said the council was pleased to grant a planning permit for such an important project for the town.

“The site has been an eyesore for so long and it has had a detrimental effect on the community of Dimboola,” he said.

“It’s great to see something is going to be done.

“When the project is finished it will be much nicer on the eye when you drive down the street.

“I’d like to congratulate the Dimboola community. Very few projects were granted the full $200,000 available. The community has driven the project and it’s fantastic they have been able to procure that much money.”

Cr Gersch said the council was supporting the project through in-kind support, particularly through the planning process.

He said the project was different from others because it did not involve council or Crown land.

Graeme Schneider, brother of Hindmarsh councillor Tony Schneider, owns the Dimboola Hotel site.

“It is private land, so it had to be dealt with a little differently,” Cr Gersch said.

“Mr Schneider is very supportive of the project and happy something is being done for the community.”

Cr Gersch said he hoped the project could be completed within the $200,000 budget.

“Hopefully everything they have in mind will fit within their budget,” he said.

“I’m not sure if they will have to look at fundraising options to do everything they want to do.”

Mr Pilmore said project leaders were in the process of negotiating and securing a corporate partnership to help complete the project.