General News
24 June, 2025
Check-in or check-out?
The Horsham Hotel is coming to the region, drawing both a warm welcome and strong concerns.
The Horsham Golf Club and the landowner are welcoming the project, but some in the neighbourhood have raised objections, fearing that the development will disrupt their rural lifestyle.
The ATG Holdings proposed a triple-story, 101-room hotel that would be situated next to the Horsham Golf Club on Golf Course Road in Horsham South.
The hotel will also feature a gym and outdoor studio, a restaurant, a bar and lounge, flexible meeting and function spaces, a pre-function area, a courtyard, and 117 carparks.
The developers have submitted the planning permit application to the Victorian Planning Department, and residents have also raised their objections to the Department of Transport and Planning.
Horsham Golf Club president Gerard Bardell said it would be an excellent investment for the Wimmera region.
“We’re cautiously optimistic, if it were to go ahead, it’d be a great investment, not just for Haven and the Horsham Golf Club, but for the Wimmera as well.”
“The developers have been very well planned and inclusive with us and we wish them all the best.
“There’s pent-up demand for a business like this, and I think it will allow our tourism people to help join the dots, particularly for the golf journey between the Great Ocean Road and the Murray.”
“We’ve been steadily growing our membership; we now have 880 members, and a new hotel would enhance the member experience and bring more visitors.”
“It would be a wonderful asset for the Wimmera.”
One of the Golf Course Road residents, who also submitted the objection to the Ministry of Planning against the hotel, said a development like this would be more suitable close to the CBD.
“We moved back here because I don’t want to live across the road from Vegas, if we have to live across the road from a three-storey, 100-room hotel, we might as well move back to Ballarat or Melbourne,” they said.
“We really flagged that it had to fit within the rural landscape and be mindful of residents, but we can see nothing in the planning that has taken any of the feedback we’ve given along the journey.
“A hotel like that belongs closer to the CBD or along the riverfront, and not 5 kilometres out of town between rural homes and heavy industry.”
They said such a project would also affect their family member due to noise and lifestyle disruption.
“Our daughter has autism and an intellectual disability,” they said.
“Sensory-wise, it’s really important she feels she’s in a quiet, safe environment.
“A development like this isn’t appropriate for her needs.
“The wider community hasn’t had enough time to process the impact.
“Some didn’t even get letters, and I had to work for three days straight just to submit an objection in time.”
Landowner Chris Buwalda, who is also a partner in the project, said they are expecting a large number of travellers and approximately 70 job opportunities through this project.
“We’ve had four community-consultation evenings over the last two years, with council staff and the developer in the room each time,” he said.
“The council put us together with ATG, who wanted a triple-storey hotel; they saw what I saw, but we’re going to do it better.
“We’re estimating about 70 jobs, including around 40 full-time plus casuals and it should pull a lot more inbound travellers into Horsham.
“If the planning permit’s approved, the current uncompleted buildings will be removed straight away and then construction could be finished in the following 12 to 15 months, ready before Christmas 2026.”
Horsham Rural City Council’s Wyn Wyn Ward councillor, Brian Klowss, said a proper consultation with the neighbourhood is needed at this hour.
“If the project’s done right and the right consultations happened, I think it’ll be a good project, as there is a need for more accommodation in Horsham,” he said.
“I think there’s probably a little bit of lack of consultation with the neighbours — that’s where the biggest issue’s been.
“They need to consider the neighbours there, because they’re going to live there, and they were there first.”
Another neighbour said they are opposed to the proposed development, but not to the investment in the region.
“I am not opposed to the development of this land, but not with what is proposed, as I do not believe this will benefit our area or other local businesses,” they said.
“This development does not feature in the Horsham South Structure plan, and this plan supports my concerns that this development lacks other infrastructure to support it, such as drainage, water, electrical, wastewater mains, traffic and transport.
“Three storeys is just too high—it’s a block of concrete, a real monstrosity that doesn’t suit this rural streetscape.
“Golf Course Road is already narrow; their report says 34 vehicle movements in the morning, but 100 rooms at even 50 percent occupancy means 50 cars—those numbers don’t stack up.
The residents said they recently had a drainage problem and the proposed hotel will add more to it.
“There’s no public transport after 7.30pm, only three taxis and no Ubers, so handing this place a late-night liquor licence is asking for trouble.
“The mains and drainage here are already in flood now, adding waste from 101 rooms plus staff will overwhelm an infrastructure that already can’t cope.
“Most locals never heard about the hotel because it skipped council and went straight to the state consultation.”
The Mail-Times reached out to the Planning Minister’s office for a comment on the submitted permit, and they said, “Any proposal will be considered on its merits - as this project is currently under assessment, it would be inappropriate to comment further.” Victorian Government spokesperson said.
A few Golf Course Road residents are also considering taking the matter to VCAT if it is approved without considering their objections.
However, one resident has stated that they will sell their house and move to a quieter location.
According to the Minister of Planning, the hotel proposal of ATG Developers was submitted through the Development Facilitation Program (DFP), and the public notice process applies to all DFP projects.
Members of the community can submit their concerns or views, which will be taken into account in the planning decision-making process.
The notice of the application has been given to potentially affected owners and occupiers surrounding the subject site, and the period is for the standard 14 days.
Submissions can still be made until a decision is made, and all submissions will be considered.
