PLANS for a $25m redevelopment of Arthurs Seat Eagle (ASE) has been tweaked including scrapping a pedestrian bridge from the summit, but critics say the changes don’t go far enough.
A revision of the masterplan’s design follows project planners meeting community groups and local representatives to gather a range of perspectives.
The plans, announced last September, include upgrading facilities, attractions and the natural green space to “diversify the types of experiences offered to tourists”.
Such is its scale, the planned redevelopment has been deemed a “project of significance” under Victorian planning provisions and is currently being reviewed by the Department of Transport and Planning (DTP) as part of the Request for Information (RFI) stage.
This phase has seen the DTP seek further information to thoroughly assess ASE’s proposed masterplan against stringent criteria including improved traffic management, bushfire mitigation, erosion prevention, wildlife protection, and environmental sustainability.
But advocates for Arthurs Seat, including the Save Our Seat community group, have strongly opposed the plans from the beginning, saying the state park was in “grave danger” if the plans went ahead, and that the proposed “roller-coaster-style luge” was inappropriate.
ASE CEO Matthew Mulkearns however said the upgraded vision was aimed at delivering “a world-class, sustainable precinct celebrating the natural wonders of the Mornington Peninsula”.
“We have been mindful that the local community is one of the project’s most important stakeholders,” he said.
In a statement released this month, ASE said, “the RFI process and a variety of constructive suggestions for the ongoing improvement of the upgrade project have been incorporated into the masterplan’s reworked design”.
Among the changes, which have been submitted to the DTP for consideration, include replacing a proposed restaurant on the upper level of the summit station with an expansion of the existing café within the existing leasehold.
The observation tower’s design is now a stand-alone building with a slimmer form but with a height increase to 34 metres to allow for unobstructed view lines but “designed to be harmonious with the landscape”.
Its viewing platform would be smaller, reducing the number of visitors it can accommodate from 74 to 55.
The previously proposed pedestrian bridge at the summit station over Arthurs Seat Rd has now been removed “to address authority management and community concerns and preserve view lines along Arthurs Seat Rd”.
A proposed luge track has also been shortened from 2360 metres to 1440 metres to ensure that six of the eight initially targeted trees will now be kept.
“The luge design was further modified to avoid areas designated as no-build zones, as well as historic landslide scars, drainage paths, and sensitive ecological areas,” a summary report from ASE said.
The luge platform at the summit station has also been redesigned “to sit within the natural slope of the landscape”.
Furthermore, indigenous landscaping has been put forward including following Tree Protection Zones, a staged seeding and planting proposal along the gondola and luge corridor, which would result in planting more than 25 plant species.
But Save Our Seat spokesperson Kylie Greer remained unconvinced, arguing the revised plans are even “more invasive” than before.
She said ASE was merely “dressing up changes, such as scrapping a pedestrian bridge and summit restaurant, while concealing new elements deep within its website”.
“One such addition is a luge bridge at the point where the luge/roller coaster crosses a sharp hairpin bend on Arthurs Seat Rd,” Greer said.
“This bridge is a disastrous addition. It would be an eyesore and completely undermines the claim that the luge will be a ‘light touch’. Its location, so close to a blind hairpin bend on a busy scenic road, also raises huge safety concerns. The potential for driver distraction is massive.”
Greer noted that while the luge track had been shortened, it now had three helices, or elevated loops, instead of one in the original plans, which “would create a far greater visual impact as well as adding to the landslide and erosion risk, given the greater bulk of the loops”.
She also said its group members were concerned about an “obtrusive” acoustic fence adjacent to Nestle Court and Arthurs Hotel.
“The Eagle previously claimed the luge would meet accepted noise levels. If that’s true, why the acoustic fence? It’s just another blight on the landscape and another barrier to wildlife.”
Greer said if the planners were “serious about community concerns, they’d start by scrapping the luge altogether”.
She also questioned the business logic underpinning the redevelopment, saying if “they can drop the restaurant so easily, it raises real doubts about the business plan behind this project”.
“Do they actually know what they’re doing? Remember, this is the same company that went into administration in 2020.”
Mulkearns said the ASE had engaged with community groups and local representatives since the proposal was revealed last year “to understand the range of perspectives on the masterplan design”.
“This includes regular meetings of the Local Community Reference Group, which was set up to further engage local stakeholders and ensure the project’s inclusivity and success,” he said.
“Through the process of engaging with the community, Arthurs Seat Eagle has sought to incorporate a variety of constructive suggestions for the upgrade project’s ongoing improvement, including redesigning the luge track and observation tower so that these proposed introductions are in even greater harmony with the existing environment.”
Mornington Peninsula Shire mayor Cr Anthony Marsh said, “the council will form its position once the plans are released for formal consultation, but it’s encouraging to see the Eagle engaging with the community”.
Following a community backlash over the project last year, councillors voted unanimously to move a motion at their 18 December meeting for Marsh to write to Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny “expressing council and resident concern with the proposed development”.
The motion also sought a one-on-one meeting with Kilkenny, but the invitation is understood to have been declined.
Earlier this year, the mayor said that he hoped the revised plans would “strike the right balance” for tourism and recreation on the peninsula.
First published in the Mornington News – 26 August 2025