Pokies push goes on

Updated November 7 2012 - 2:24am, first published July 9 2010 - 12:24pm

THE Foundry Hotel’s bid for 30 gaming machines will be decided at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal.The Victorian Commission for Gambling Regulation yesterday approved the Golden Square hotel’s application, despite the City of Greater Bendigo refusing to support the application earlier this year.The VCAT hearing to consider the application has been set for February next year.City of Greater Bendigo Mayor Rod Campbell said he was yet to see the Commission ruling, but before any poker machines were installed the hotel needed planning approval.Bendigo Council refused a planning application in April.‘‘Council didn’t give its blessing to either application,’’ Cr Campbell said.‘‘We have to take a pragmatic view, we do what we can to reflect the sentiments of the community.‘‘But this is the way the system works.‘‘We have to be big enough and brave enough to work within it. We can’t be sentimental.’’Shamrock Street resident John Loomes was against poker machines at the hotel and said he was disappointed by the Commission’s decision. However he said he wasn’t surprised.‘‘It will be interesting to see how this proceeds at VCAT.‘‘Hopefully, it will respect council’s decision.’’In March the council voted not to support the hotel’s poker machines application with the gaming commission.The council decided the overall economic and social impact of the hotel’s gaming proposal was detrimental to Bendigo.The Foundry Hotel applied to share in the pool of gaming machines already in Bendigo.In March the council sent out 729 social impact surveys to properties within a 500- metre radius of the hotel.The survey found 74 per cent did not want gaming machines installed and it showed a significant number of residents in Golden Square believed they would be negatively impacted by the installation of the gaming machines.

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