LAKE TAKES HEAT OFF HOTEL SITE

THERE are no immediate plans for the site of the old heritage-listed Grand Hotel in Hughenden, which was last year destroyed in a suspicious fire, as all attention swings to a new attraction.

Flinders Shire Deputy Mayor Sean O’neill, who witnessed the pub go up in flames, said the site in Stansfield St had since been cleared but “there’s nothing definite yet” planned for it.

He said the council was now focused on the new $6 million Hughenden Recreational Lake, which is about the size of 35 football fields.

The lake will have walkways and bike paths going around it while the lake will be open to water activities including swimming, sailing, canoeing and fishing.

The council said it would look into stocking the 22ha lake with fish once it had matured after about three years.

“The recreational lake is going in at the moment and it should be capable of holding water by next week,” Cr O’neill said. “But we obviously need something to fall out of the sky before that happens.

“It will make a hell of a difference. It will make the place a lot more liveable.”

The lake is expected to be finished by the end of the year.

While the new waterway is under construction, Cr O’neill said plans for the old Grand Hotel site in Stansfield St had been put on hold.

“There’s a lot of ideas and that’s something we’re going to have to scope out,” he said.

“We will probably use that site for some expansion, whether it’s the expansion of the library or an expansion of the information centre, I don’t know.”

Cr O’neill said the council acted as the caretaker of the century-old pub after it closed in 2004.

“Council’s involvement before was to keep it safe for the public,” he said.

Police are treating the fire as suspicious and investigations are continuing.