'With ad hoc approvals Merimbula could end up looking like little Parramatta' says planner

On Wednesday, June 28 Bega Valley Shire Council will discuss plans for a seven storey hotel at Club Sapphire.

The proposed conferencing and hotel facilities would be built above the current bistro, adding a further five storeys.

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Council staff are not recommending approval for the development to increase the maximum building height from 16 metres to 26 metres, but ACM understands some councillors are in favour of the planning proposal, and if there are sufficient numbers at the meeting, it could receive approval.

It is one of several large scale developments proposed for Merimbula which could dramatically change the coastal character and look of the town. There are fears that without agreed design parameters, Merimbula could end up with a variety of buildings, none of which reflect the ambience of a rural seaside town.

And it is something that urban planner Professor Roz Hansen is concerned may change the face of the town, turning it into "Little Parramatta".

Professor Hansen who moved to Merimbula in 2015 is eminently qualified to talk about urban planning and social and affordable housing given her work with both Liberal and Labor Governments on the Melbourne Metropolitan Planning Strategy (Plan Melbourne 2050). She was recognised for her work with an OAM, has worked on several town centre strategies for suburban and regional centres and has co-authored a book How Great Cities Happen.

She said that Merimbula's town centre lacks vision and urban design guidelines, all of which can give certainty to property developers and ensure new development within the town centre complements the coastal and seaside attributes of Merimbula.

"It's a coastal town and that should be reflected in the look and feel of the Merimbula brand and its built form. But there are no well conceived development guidelines for the town centre resulting in ad hoc and ill-informed decisions on major developments that will adversely impact on the character and amenity of the centre for many years to come," Professor Hansen said.

She believes that the design guidelines are better articulated for the Merimbula Airport general aviation development than for the town centre of Merimbula itself.

"The town centre is a very high priority, as it is the place that we all visit on a daily basis and is the heart and soul of our town.

"Before any new major developments are considered by council an appropriate planning and development strategy is needed for the town centre to not only provide guidance to developers as to what is appropriate development but provide the confidence in the community that such decisions are in the public interest rather than just individual property owners," Professor Hansen said.

She is not alone in her concerns and said there is a group of residents concerned about the lack of a vision or well conceived urban design place based approach to future development in the Merimbula town centre.

But Professor Hansen said it is not necessary to reinvent the wheel "because the work has already been done for council, in an urban design review for Eden's Town Centre, carried out in 2004.

"Much of that work, in terms of appropriate colour schemes and materials used in coastal town centre development, would map across to Merimbula with further work needed on the scale, mass and bulk of new development reflecting an agreed vision for the future of Merimbula's town centre," Professor Hansen said.

Other developments in the offing include Robert Green's five storey development in the centre of Merimbula on Market Street, which councillors approved to go up from 13 to 18 metres, against the recommendations of council planning staff for a maximum height of 16 metres.

There is also the 89-unit seniors' housing development over five storeys, by the Justice Fox Property Group for land adjacent to Robyn's Nest. The developer has moved the matter to the Land and Environment Court because of the time taken over the application.

The future of a proposed development of 27 townhouses and a 32-unit apartment block on land opposite the northern end of the airport on Arthur Kaine Drive, Merimbula, will be decided following a public meeting.

The development is being assessed by the Southern Regional Planning Panel (SRPP) after Bega Valley Shire Council sold the land to the 2.54 acre block in June 2021 to Canberra-based developer Prasun Banerjee through his company SHC MU3 Pty Ltd.

Council though is not supportive of this development as it currently stands.

There is also the approved DA for Club Sapphire's 40-unit residential development on Main Street which has been put out into the market with commercial real estate agents

Professor Hansen has called much of the recent discussion "planning on the run, with ad hoc approval," and wants to see a more structured approach with the community fully engaged in the process and a design review panel, something for which Cr Mitchell Nadin had previously advocated.

Professor Hansen said when local councils made ad hoc decisions on new developments without the proper and appropriate design policies and guidelines in place the result was invariably regretted as the development did not sit comfortably within its surrounds.

"It can lead to a snow balling effect where other developments are approved to the same or greater height and scale thus undermining the very attributes as to why people choose to live and work in towns such as Merimbula," Professor Hansen said.

On Tuesday, June 27, 5.30pm there was a meeting at the Merimbula RSL Club to consider the draft transport study for Merimbula. Councillors present included Cr Mitchell Nadin and the mayor Russell Fitzpatrick and it was organised by the Merimbula Chamber of Commerce.

The study considers some major changes for the town centre including limiting traffic flow to provide a pedestrian precinct in Market Street.

It is something that has been discussed for more than 10 years and was the driver for the intersection and Park Street bypass in Merimbula.

However there are a number of issues to be considered including the size of developments in the CBD, the traffic they might generate and what underground utilities and services, including upgrades to existing services, might be required for the developments, prior to any changes to Market Street or surrounds.

The study considers changes to the traffic flow in Merimbula with an accent on pedistrian access and once decided will set the tone for the CBD for future years.

Have your say. Does Merimbula need design guidelines for the future? What type of development do you think is appropriate for Merimbula? Have you visited a coastal town that is a good model? Send a letter to the editor using the form below

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