THE boat hire business at Scout Beach, Mornington, has been granted a new nine-year lease along with a 300 per cent rent hike.
The lease to Mornington Boat Hire and Bait and Tackle run by Paul Pingiaro operates from a boat shed and includes about 120 square metres of foreshore, which can be used for boat hire and a kiosk.
Boats have been hired from a business on the beach for 90 years.
A report to Mornington Peninsula Shire Council’s Tuesday 27 June meeting said Mornington Boat Hire had nine employees “and is Melbourne’s largest boat hire with other operations at Mt Martha foreshore and Yaringa Boat Harbour [Somerville]”.
“The proposed rent [$9200 plus GST for the boat shed and $6000 plus GST for the foreshore] is based on a market rent determination by valuation and the income aligns with Council’s budget projections and will provide revenue to support council services,” property and strategy manager Yasmin Woods stated in a report to council.
“The tenant has demonstrated a good history of lease compliance and is a well-known boat hire business with an excellent reputation. This report recommends that a lease be negotiated by private treaty with the current tenant.”
Ms Woods said the rent was based on information from Matheson Stephen Valuations, which had been asked to “assess the fair market rental”.
“In assessing the market rental and appropriate licence fee payable for the premises, MSV investigated rentals for foreshore properties, including the following Bluey’s Boat House, 221 Bay Trail, Mordialloc; Yaringa Boat Hire, Yaringa Boat Harbour, Somerville; The Baths Restaurant, Sorrento; and Sofia on the Pier Restaurant, Frankston.”
