A planning application has been approved by the Mornington Peninsula Shire for a $14 million redevelopment of the former Arthurs Seat chairlift. After an 8 day hearing at VCAT in early November, VCAT have made the decision to grant the permit. However, the proposal is nothing like the original chairlift. The current design for the ‘Arthurs Seat Skylift’, which may operate from 8am to midnight, is
a large commercial development in public parkland that is not sympathetic as it could be to the environmental and heritage values of Arthurs Seat. The plans propose a visually intrusive ‘gondola’ ride that crosses Arthurs Seat Road at the summit, a 100 seat café at the top station and a much larger footprint for the bottom station than the former chairlift. As well as impacting on Arthurs Seat, the new development may also impact on surrounding areas like Red Hill and Dromana, particularly through increased traffic. Save our Seat is a group of concerned local residents, supported by others from the greater Melbourne community, working to protect Arthurs Seat State Park and the local area from inappropriate development. Built in the 1960s, the chairlift was a quaint, low-impact ride that travelled up and down Arthurs Seat. Many people have fond memories of the chairlift and have been looking forward to it being rebuilt. We are NOT opposed to a replacement chairlift; we just want to make sure that it is appropriate for this special place. The proposed gondola ride generally follows the same route as the old chairlift from the bottom station until it reaches the summit. After that everything changes. Eight-seater gondolas are proposed to cross Arthurs Seat Road to the summit on two huge pylons 14 and 16 metres tall to the upper station. The proposed upper station would occupy approximately 0.7 hectares of the public parkland that is currently enjoyed by the public as a picnic area. In current plans, this building will be eight metres tall and includes a 100 seat café. The bottom station is proposed to be much larger in scale than the existing building. A significant number of trees will be lost, changing the amenity and character of the proposed redevelopment site. Our concerns:
Save our Seat is concerned about:
• Large-scale private development in Arthurs Seat State Park, which is an area that has been set aside for environmental conservation and recreation on behalf of all Victorians.
• The loss of parkland/public open space from Arthurs Seat State Park, including tree removal.
• The increase in traffic on what are already dangerous roads (with no additional provision for cycling despite the popularity of cycling in the area).
• The proposed operating hours of 8 am until midnight, which will destroy the amenity of the area.
• The aesthetic relevance (or irrelevance) of the proposed design of the top station, particularly given the heritage listing of the ART DECO style of Arthurs Seat Hotel and many houses in the area, built in the 1920s
• The recent demolition of the Arthurs Seat Viewing Tower. We are also concerned that many people in the local community may be relatively uninformed about the Skylift proposal despite the Shire’s official planning application advertising process having closed in March 2014 (although the Shire will still receive objections). What do we want? Save Our Seat is seeking a smaller-scale, more sympathetic design and development than is currently proposed with more reasonable operating hours. Save our Seat has made application to VCAT against the June 6 2014 approval of the the Skylift Proposal. WE ARE REQUESTING THE FOLLOWING CHANGES:
• The proposed top station to be located on the north side of Arthurs Seat Road (that is, where it was originally located).
• The café/restaurant be significantly reduced in size.
• The allowed hours of business to be between 9am and 5 pm in winter and autumn and from 9.00am to 7pm in the summer and spring. We understand these would be the maximum hours of the opening/operation and there will be no compulsion on the operators to operate for all of these hours.
• There should be a similar amount of car and bus parking in the areas surrounding the top and bottom stations as have existed between 2000 - 2014, but with improvements to traffic management including parking, vehicle speed, shared and safe use of the traffic infrastructure by all road users including pedestrians and cyclists.
• Other appropriate planning permit conditions which address fire safety, permissible activities, noise, signage and ancillary issues
