Tuesday 20 September 2011
VOL 9. No 38
www.surfcoasttimes.com.au
Surf Coast Ti Times mes
FREE WEEKLY
Gran Fondo Fun
Cyclists flocked to Lorne on Sunday for Amy’s Gran Fondo. Over 3,200 cyclists participated in the event, which is put on by the Amy Gillett Foundation to promote cyclist safety and sharing of the road between cyclists and motorists. See full story on page 11. Photo: WARWICK TUCKER
SCHOOL’S OUT EXCLUSIVE
Surf Coast Secondary School is unlikely to be ready by the promised date – Government at loggerheads with land-owner over price of the land
Su rf Forecast
BY LUKE GRIFFITHS TORQUAY SECONDARY students could have the important final years of their education disrupted, with serious doubts that Torquay’s standalone secondary school will be ready by 2013. It is widely assumed that the secondary school – a pre-election promise of the Victorian Coalition Government – will be built to the east of the Surf Coast Shire’s Community and Civic Precinct on the Surf Coast Highway. However, the Surf Coast Times can reveal that the education department has not purchased any land on the site.
The land remains the property of a businessman. The Baillieu Government has allocated $8.4 million for the purchase of the five-hectare site, considerably below what the vendor is asking. Based on land prices at The Quay development, if the blocks were subdivided the developer would make around $17 million in profit. A lump sum payment would entitle the buyer to a discounted rate, yet this figure would still fall substantially short of what the Government has set aside for the purchase. Negotiations have stalled and both parties appear reluctant to budge.
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WED 2-4ft Building WNW 24º THU 1-3ft Small N 18º FRI 3-4ft+ Quality W 17º SAT 3-4ft Average SW 19º
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