Its proponent believes it is “tasteful.” Objectors argue it signals “a city of drunks.”
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
A big beer bottle proposal near Goulburn’s southern entry is already dividing opinion well before Council decides its future, the Goulburn Post reports.
Macarthur Grange Breweries, trading as Brewpack Manufacturing Pty Ltd, has lodged a development application for a 30-metre high promotional bottle. It would stand in the car park of the company’s proposed brewery on the corner of Ducks Lane and Hume St, south Goulburn.
Rivalling the Big Merino in height, the big bottle would promote the brewery’s signature Stockade Beer. Brewpack estimates the bottle’s value at $100,000, though the construction material is not yet clear.
“It’s a statement of presence saying ‘come for the bottle but stay for the beer’,” company CEO Anton Szpitalik said.
He argued it wasn’t near schools or residences but close to the off-ramp from the highway and across from the south Goulburn service centre.
Moreover, the Big Merino was just over the road and he hadn’t heard of any issues about the ‘Rambo’s’ height.
Council planning director Chris Stewart said a development control plan governing advertising in the area recommended a maximum eight-metre height.
But it also recognised the need for flexibility given that some industrial enterprises were higher than this.
As such, the company had to submit an impact statement and the application was referred to the Roads and Maritime Service (RMS) for comment.
Brewpack argued in the statement that though illuminated 24 hours a day, the bottle would not distract drivers’ attention from the road, partly due to setback.
“If required, the intensity of illumination could be adjusted,” the document stated.
Developers also believe no “important views will be obscured” and the bottle is in keeping with the area’s character, particularly the Big Merino and service centre where large illuminated signs are also evident.
Mr Stewart said councillors would likely consider its illumination, height and visual impact, possibly even on nearby ridgelines.
He had not had a reply back from the RMS at this stage. The DA is on public exhibition until May 8 and submissions are invited up until May 10.
The Post is aware of a letter sent by a ratepayer to all councillors objecting to the plan and “excessive” alcohol advertising.
“It would not be very fitting or complimentary to have travellers or visitors comment that it must be now a ‘city of drunks,’” the letter stated.
Mr Szpitalik said the bottle was his father’s dream. Ideally he would like it opened at the same time as the brewery (by the end of 2015). He envisaged a steel frame but engineering would begin in earnest following a council decision.
