A hotel will be developed on Mickleham Road in Westmeadows despite hundreds of objections.
In December 2025, the state government approved a permit to use and develop land between Mickleham Road and Bent Street for a hotel.
Hume councillor Naim Kurt said he was disappointed that the permit was approved despite 249 objections from members of the Westmeadows community.
Cr Kurt said an 81-room, three-storey hotel backing onto single-storey residential detached housing, feels like overdevelopment.
“Neighbours [of the proposed hotel] have a lot of privacy and safety concerns about people peering into their properties,” he said.
Cr Kurt cited safety concerns around cars speeding up as they enter and leave the hotel which will be located at the bottom of a hill on a main road.
“There will be a higher volume of traffic, which was not the intention of the initial design [of Mickleham Road].”
Cr Kurt said the hotel would be safer if it was built by the service lane on the opposite side of the road and he was disappointed some of the council’s recommendations were not included in the plan.
“Westmeadows has a special heritage and character… that could not be enforced through the ministerial decision.“
Cr Kurt said any development projects that cost over $10 million are the responsibility of the state government, not council.
A Department of Transport and Planning (DTP) spokesperson said all submissions were considered as part of the permit application process.
“Conditions were included on the planning permit to address concerns, including the hotel’s operation and to address security and noise,” the spokesperson said.
The permit includes a requirement for a hotel management plan, and that a manager is always on-site to monitor noise levels and security.
The DTP said the location of the hotel satisfies the setback provisions of the Hume planning scheme.
DTP said it consulted with Transport Victoria and council traffic engineers, which led to restrictions on hotel access as left-in/left-out only on Mickleham Road.
According to the DTP, the approved development also meets the environmentally sustainable design provisions of the Hume planning scheme.
Hume’s planning team will be responsible for monitoring and enforcing the permit conditions.
The permit is valid as long as construction starts within 3 years, before December 2028, and finishes within 5 years, by December 2030.
