THE Hepburn Hub development was finally passed at a council meeting on Tuesday evening.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The hub, one of the biggest projects for the shire in decades, passed without any amendment and resulted in a vote of five to two.
It came only a short time after the Daly Street Holy Cross Hall site was mooted as a possible location for the hub which is planned for the Daylesford Town Hall site.
Hepburn Shire Council mayor Kate Redwood said the project was the biggest for the shire in around 20 years.
“It is an immensely important moment of the shire to commit to go forward on that site, which has been the civic heart of the community for 130 years,” she said.
The hub will now face a detailed planning process before the shire attempts to obtain government funding for its construction.
Cr Redwood said only a small crowd turned out for the vote, despite the planning of the hub previously drawing huge community input.
“I am immensely proud, it will deliver a centre of value for the community now and for a very long time to come,” she said.
Ms Redwood said the other potential site was presented to the councillors , however, had not been been as appealing as the Town Hall site which has previously been criticized for its lack of space for expansion and minimal parking options.
“I directed council to give it the same due diligence they did every other site,” she said.
“In actual fact, it is not readily accessible because it is quite steep.
“The site is beautiful and it would be beautiful for a residential development but for a civic development it is important we stay in the civic centre.”
Around 30 sites were evaluated across Daylesford for construction of the hub.
Despite the vote, John Caines, who is a representative of the Saint Peter's Parish which owns the Daly Street site, said he did not believe the analysis of the site completed by the council was fair.
“I asked them to simply defer the decision so the Holy Cross Hall site could be evaluated thoroughly and fairly,” he said.
“I don’t believe there is strong support for the Holy Cross Hall site because it hasn’t been publicised.
“People believe it is a fait accompli, they are complacent about it, and they are saying ‘oh they (council) are going to do what they want to do anyway’.
“I find it a horrible situation.”
The current plan to build the hub at the town hall site has been previously met with strong community opposition due to the congestion it would cause in the area and the development's size.
Of concern was its proximity to the swimming pool.
The proposed Hepburn Hub will transform the Daylesford Town Hall site, with plans detailing an expanded library, added community space and new visitor information centre.
There is also a focus on sustainability practices and reducing council costs.