RELATED | Locals set to rally for Happy Jacks
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RELATED | Happy Jacks set to reclaim former glory
RELATED | Sad ending likely for Happy Jacks store
UPDATE 4PM: The owners of the Happy Jacks Emporium say they will have to make a decision in the next few weeks about abandoning plans to reopen the historic Lockwood South store.
Part-owner Hasan Rifat says conditions placed on the property’s planning permit by the City of Greater Bendigo and VicRoads were putting too much financial pressure on the investment.
Mr Rifat said the permit required the owners to pay for improvement works at the site, including asphalting the car park, extending and sealing a 10 metre shoulder of road and replacing a septic tank.
Mr Rifat said the conditions could end up costing $160,000 to $200,000.
“That’s before any work could begin on the premises,” he said.
Mr Rifat said the takeaway and general store would not be able to make enough money to make the investment worthwhile.
“At the end of the day it is all about a return on investment,” he said
Mr Rifat said repeated attempts to find more cost effective solutions with council and VicRoads had failed.
“We are doing what we can to get it open but the situation seems to be that it is ‘our way or no way’,” he said.
Mr Rifat feared that unless progress could be made within a few weeks owners would instead have to turn the building into housing.
“It is our dream that we want to (open the store). It originally opened in the 1860s and there is a hell of a lot of history there. It would just be sad not to open it up again.
“The community would miss out because that part of our history would be gone.”
The council’s acting director of planning and development Susannah Milne said the planning permit was a legally binding document and authorities like council and VicRoads were unable to negotiate once it was issued.
“The period of time to appeal through VCAT has passed, but the property owner could seek to amend the permit and then recommence the planning process,” she said.
Ms Milne said the owners would need to convince engineers at council and VicRoads suggested solutions met safety standards.
“it is hard – we are acknowledge the community want that store. Councillors have made the commitment to the community to facilitate that process should the owner wish to amend the permit,” she said.
EARLIER: The owners of the vacant Happy Jacks site told the Bendigo Advertiser they have given themselves two weeks to decide whether to abandon plans to reopen the store.
It comes after a number of Lockwood residents used last night’s City of Greater Bendigo ward meeting to voice its concerns after rumours began circulating the store may not open.
Community member Peter Lennon said last night’s Lockwood ward meeting attracted a large crowd, with many wanting to tell council how much locals wanted the store reopened.
“My guess is that, given previous events we’ve done at the hall, the amount of chairs we had out and the amount of people standing, I’d say there were between 100 and 150 people there.”
“There’s a good possibility of things going forward in a positive way. We’ve just got to get the owners, council and VicRoads together face to face,” he said.
He said the owner had wanted to attend the meeting, but had previous business interests interstate.
Mr Lennon said the next step would be to sit down with the owners and find out whether they wanted the community to be part of conversations with council and VicRoads.
This morning owner Hasan Rifat thanked Mr Lennon and the wider Lockwood community for their support.
“It is our dream that we want to (open the store). It originally opened in the 1860s and there is a hell of a lot of history there. It would just be sad not to open it up again,” he said.
“The community would miss out because that part of our history would be gone.”
However, Mr Rifat said a number of costly planning conditions may force the owners to instead turn the building into housing.
“At the end of the day it is all about a return on investment,” he said
More to come.