Paul Holmes a Court Margaret River Hotel redevelopment short 31 parking bays for town centre

Shire of Augusta-Margaret River planners have confirmed the costly redevelopment of the Margaret River Hotel will short-change the town centre by more than 30 parking bays. The redevelopment undertaken by the Paul Holmes a Court-owned Heytesbury Group, valued at more than $10 million and to be decided by WA’s Joint Development Assessment Panel rather than the Shire, was unveiled by the Times in June with no clear finish date due to challenges brought by WA’s chock-a-block construction sector. Residents raised the parking shortfall with the Times, bemoaning the perceived further loss of parking from the town’s CBD after the main street redevelopment reduced some bays. But sustainable development and infrastructure director Nick Logan said the Shire’s submission to JDAP would be based on the local planning scheme. “The starting point is the sum of the parking requirements generated by the future land uses proposed, which then needs to be considered against other factors that may influence actual demand such as reciprocal use,” Mr Logan said. The Shire assessed 64 bays in total were needed, but only 33 were included in the redevelopment plans. A spokesperson for the Heytesbury Group said a “very thorough” parking analysis was contained in the development application’s transport impact report provided by consultants Transcore. “A lot of consideration has gone into every aspect of the development plan,” the spokesperson said. The Times understands nearby parking as well as 24 bicycle bays for guests and workers were proposed to address some of the shortfall. Mr Holmes a Court previously told the Times careful consideration was given to a balance between amenity, his company’s vision for the boutique site, and heritage concerns. While the Corner Bar would be retained, permission was sought for an additional two-storey structure as well as opening the hotel’s heritage-listed facade to the street. The new addition would add 17 hotel rooms, and included streetscaping, alfresco offerings and a redesigned interior space for events. Mr Logan noted the hotel is it stands prior to construction would not meet the scheme’s parking requirements either. “If built today and applying the same standards, (it) would require a total of 100 car bays,” he said. Parking requirements were also lower because the existing function space of 224sqm would be cut to 105sqm, while the 314sqm outdoor beer garden would shrink to 138sqm. Additionally, parking in the hotel laneway was no longer considered compliant by contemporary standards, Mr Logan said.