By Catherine Watson
IN RECENT years, the adjectives used to describe Cowes would probably have included dowdy, tawdry and daggy.
But suddenly it’s all happening in Cowes. The $27 million Cowes Cultural Centre, Berninneit, is due to open in November; the Phillip Island Community Hospital will open next year, and two major hotels are in the works.
On Wednesday, councillors unanimously approved an $85 million waterfront hotel on the former Isle of Wight site. The development by Moda Phillip Island Pty Ltd includes a seven-storey mixed-use hotel with 163 rooms, a pool deck overlooking the ocean and rooftop basketball and tennis courts.
IN RECENT years, the adjectives used to describe Cowes would probably have included dowdy, tawdry and daggy.
But suddenly it’s all happening in Cowes. The $27 million Cowes Cultural Centre, Berninneit, is due to open in November; the Phillip Island Community Hospital will open next year, and two major hotels are in the works.
On Wednesday, councillors unanimously approved an $85 million waterfront hotel on the former Isle of Wight site. The development by Moda Phillip Island Pty Ltd includes a seven-storey mixed-use hotel with 163 rooms, a pool deck overlooking the ocean and rooftop basketball and tennis courts.
There are four food and beverage outlets – a pub, bistro, hotel dining room and flagship restaurant – as well as a yoga studio, gym and wellness centre, and two function rooms.
A distinctive feature of the development is an adjoining three-storey, 49-room hostel for staff and backpackers at 2-8 Bass Avenue, Cowes. With long-term, affordable rentals scarce on Phillip Island (as in all major Australian tourist destinations) this is a real game changer.
This is the second major hotel project for Cowes. Councillors last year approved a 43-room, five-apartment hotel development next to the new cultural centre.
So is the long awaited Cowes renaissance happening at last? Bass Coast Mayor Michael Whelan has no doubts that Cowes has turned the corner.
He said the Moda development would return the site to a landmark Phillip Island destination. “There’s no better place to be in summer than on The Esplanade in Cowes, and this hotel will enhance our already vibrant island and promote visitation across all of Bass Coast.”
A distinctive feature of the development is an adjoining three-storey, 49-room hostel for staff and backpackers at 2-8 Bass Avenue, Cowes. With long-term, affordable rentals scarce on Phillip Island (as in all major Australian tourist destinations) this is a real game changer.
This is the second major hotel project for Cowes. Councillors last year approved a 43-room, five-apartment hotel development next to the new cultural centre.
So is the long awaited Cowes renaissance happening at last? Bass Coast Mayor Michael Whelan has no doubts that Cowes has turned the corner.
He said the Moda development would return the site to a landmark Phillip Island destination. “There’s no better place to be in summer than on The Esplanade in Cowes, and this hotel will enhance our already vibrant island and promote visitation across all of Bass Coast.”
| The iconic 140-year-old Isle of Wight hotel famously played host to Fred Astair, Ava Gardner and Gregory Peck during their filming of the movie On the Beach on Phillip Island in 1958. The site has been largely vacant since the hotel burnt down in 2010. Cr Whelan said the development would serve as a catalyst for further economic opportunity and growth. “Tourism is one of the main economic drivers of Bass Coast, but we currently lack enough accommodation to keep visitors in the region for more than a day.” Moving the motion to approve the Esplanade development, Cr David Rooks said the site had been recognised as a landmark site in the Cowes Activity Centre Plan. “It’s a huge game changer for locals and tourists. This land was an opportunity to reinvent Cowes as a destination. Moda has worked really well with council officers over a long period of time to achieve these design objectives.” The council received 39 objections to Moda’s development, most relating to the height of the hotel and a shortfall in on-site parking, and seven submissions of support. In its consideration of the development, the council officers’ report noted the significant reduction in required car parking (provision has been made for 197 basement car parking bays under the hotel, a discount of 935 peak parking spaces), but deemed the new hotel would provide an “overall net community benefit”. |  Von Mueller trees to stay A condition of the permit for the new hotel is the retention of two historic trees, a Moreton Bay fig and hoop pine. The trees are believed to have been planted by Baron Ferdinand Von Mueller, the first Director of the Melbourne Botanic Gardens, in 1869. The Moreton Bay fig has been classified on the National Trust of Australia’s national register of significant trees while the hoop pine is classified by the National Trust of Victoria as having regional significance. Moda had proposed to retain the fig tree but remove the pine, which its consultant arborist had declared was in poor condition. The council’s arborist disagreed, saying the tree was in relatively good condition and showing signs of new growth. Hoop pines are slow growing species that can have lifespans of up to 450 years. With the tree estimated to be around 150 years, it could have centuries left. |
Cr Rooks said the development aligned with key council objectives, including the Cowes Access and Movement Study and the Cowes Streetscape Master Plan. The Cowes Access and Movement Study recommend flipped the transport hierarchy from a car-dominated design to preference active transport – walking, cycling and public transport.
“Moda has embraced this with a pedestrian laneway linking the hotel and the main street, dedicated bus pick up zones, worker accommodation on site and a green travel plan for visitors and staff, reducing the need for excessive car parking,” Cr Rooks said.
“Moda has embraced this with a pedestrian laneway linking the hotel and the main street, dedicated bus pick up zones, worker accommodation on site and a green travel plan for visitors and staff, reducing the need for excessive car parking,” Cr Rooks said.