IN a major policy shift, and a huge potential win for Hastings, councillors have voted to nominate the Hastings Marine Parade site as the preferred location for consolidated shire offices.
The change comes after the previous council had “shortlisted” two sites: Queen Street in Mornington and Wannaeue Place in Rosebud (Shortlist of two for new shire HQ, The News 3/9/24).
Officers put forward a motion at the 11 March meeting endorsing the Mornington and Rosebud sites, but councillors had other ideas.
An amendment was put forward to the presented motion requesting the removal of Wannaeue Place (Rosebud) as an option and adding the Hastings site for further consideration.
The News believes the move came after a confidential “Future Workplace Business Case Initial Findings” report specified prohibitive costs at the Rosebud location, and a workshop attended by councillors mooted the financial and social benefits of the Hastings site.
The amended motion is a huge win for first-time councillor Michael Stephens, whose Warringine Ward covers the proposed site.
“I think Hastings should be considered seriously for the site for the shire office proposal,” said Stephens.
“The site at 21 Marine Parade is such a great location being at the end of High Street, across from 40 acres of parkland, and ample space.
“The proposal will add a huge business injection into the area which Hastings is desperately in need of. It would have an enormous positive impact on the town and the Western Port region.”
An amendment was put forward to pause the consultation on the Mornington site by Cr Paul Pingiaro.
The amendment came after Marsh asked council officers how much money was still to be spent on the Mornington site consultation and officers were unable to provide a figure.
“I think it is important we pause the Mornington consultation. It is a backup plan moving forward if Hastings is not viable,” said Pingiaro.
“Our consensus, after the workshop, is we are all very excited to look at the opportunities we can present for Hastings.”
Marsh agreed with pausing the Mornington consultation.
“We spend a fortune on consultants. If we are delaying it for three months, to see if Hastings is a viable alternative, given the remaining cost is not quantified, I’m keen to pause it. These business cases consume a huge amount of council budget.”
Endorsing the substantive motion, Pingiaro said “There is so much that can be done in Hastings.”
“We need to invest there. We need to look strategically at what we can achieve in Hastings. We need to boost the economy of Hastings. We need to bring jobs to Hastings. We need to revitalise the area.”
It is believed a motivating factor for pursuing the Hastings site was the commercial opportunities that would then be opened up with the shire-owned land in Mornington.
“While the Crown land at Mornington needs to be looked at for other uses, the carparks are owned by the ratepayers. We get knocks on the door from developers wanting to monetize that; it’s some of the most expensive land we own,” said Marsh.
“It makes sense if we can turn them into commercial opportunities to fund public infrastructure.
“This is an exciting and transformational project for Hastings in the same way a performing arts centre would be transformational.”
The final motion, including the removal of the Rosebud site as a preferred site, the pausing of consultation on the Mornington site, and the development of a business case for the Hastings site, was carried unanimously.
