The brief
A significant retail and commercial development in a small coastal township. The site sat in a Mixed Use Zone subject to Development Plan Overlay 3, fronted the Bass Highway within a Transport Zone 2 requiring an access alteration, involved native vegetation removal, and bundled a packaged liquor licence under Clause 52.27 with a service station and supermarket in a single application. Community interest carried the matter through to a full Council vote rather than officer delegation.
How we handled it
The application was framed squarely within the strategic role the Development Plan Overlay had identified for the site. Careful attention was given to the interface between the new activity centre and the coastal township — scale, colour palette, pedestrian amenity, and landscape treatment — to align the proposal with community expectations and the policy position.
The result
Planning Permit 220416 was issued by Bass Coast Shire Council on 17 August 2023, following Council's resolution on 19 July 2023 to approve the application subject to conditions. The permit approved all uses — supermarket, shops, pharmacy, office, two food and drink premises, postal agency, service station, packaged liquor licence, native vegetation removal, and the Transport Zone 2 access alteration.