July 31st, 2022Planning permit issued for Dan Murphy’s

Liquor giant Dan Murphy’s may be coming to Daylesford. And Hepburn Shire Council has already issued a planning permit.
Owner Endeavour Group Limited has applied to Liquor Control Victoria to grant it a packaged liquor licence for 63 Central Springs Road.
A planning permit for the store was granted by the council last month.
Council CEO Bradley Thomas said a planning permit was first issued for the development of a supermarket and associated works at the site in December 2018.
“Recently an application for an amendment to this permit and plans was applied for at the end of April 2022 seeking to alter the preamble of the permit from ‘supermarket’ to ‘shop’,” he said. “The change from a ‘supermarket’ to a ‘shop’ did not require planning permissions and there are no appeal rights.”
However many people are not happy with the store coming to the town, with community stalwart Sarah Lang saying “I can understand people want cheap booze but that is a really short-sighted reason”.
“Once you allow someone like Dan Murphy’s in – they are not run by small business owners, by people who live and work and breathe in the town, they are run by shareholders.
“Yes, they are going to employ local people but they will be from other local businesses who are already struggling to find staff. This is part of a much larger picture that needs to be looked at by the community and by the council in a holistic way. Development is inevitable but if it goes unchecked and we don’t ask ourselves ‘is this part of the overall vision we want for our town’ then we will end up killing the golden goose with a town full of chain stores that nobody wants to visit.”
Ms Lang, who is starting up a website for the community to pull together on this and other development matters, said she was also worried, aside from risking a reputation as a wonderful tourism destination, that the position of the store, near the Daylesford Preschool and Daylesford Pool, was already too busy for even more traffic.
“That intersection is really hard to get in and out of already, with low visibility. There are just a whole lot of reasons we don’t need Dan Murphy’s in our town.”
Cellarbrations Daylesford owner Matt France said he had been shocked to hear a planning permit had been issued for the store without any community consultation.
He said he was disappointed Hepburn Shire Council had made an amendment on the application from a supermarket to liquor store, without any opportunity for anyone to object or discuss.
Mr France said if the liquor licence was granted he would not be able to continue with his move into the new store and may well end up being forced to close his current store.
“That will be my last resort, as I love this community and am thankful for the support they have given me for many years. I am not going to just walk away, but at some stage I might have to call last drinks after 16 years which is a real shame, but you have to be a realist.”
Lyonville artist, teacher, national martial arts trainer, poet, author and vodka distillery owner Basil Eliades said the store would not affect his business.
“But I am very protective of the shire and town and don’t want Daylesford to turn into the high street of every small town in the UK. As soon as the chain stores got in they took over every store and if we let Dan Murphy’s in, this is simply the beginning of all of the other chain stores. I want to protect our uniqueness.”
Mr Eliades will host a town meeting at the Daylesford Town Hall on Wednesday, August 3 from 6pm to 7pm.
A Dan Murphy’s spokesperson said its stores were committed to being valued members of their local communities. “We employ locals, work with local suppliers and curate store ranges to suit the tastes of locals, and that is our intention with Dan Murphy’s Daylesford.
“Dan Murphy’s Daylesford will be a small format store, which means it’s significantly smaller than a standard Dan Murphy’s. The store will create valuable job opportunities for locals, and we are committed to supporting local wineries, distilleries and breweries with in-store ranging.
“As is the case with each of our developments, we follow all relevant regulations, including compliance with planning requirements, hours of operation and parking. We are committed to continuing to work constructively through the remaining steps in the approval process in order to bring our unique Dan Murphy’s concept to life.”
Objections to the liquor licence can be made within 30 days of the application if granting the application would detract from, or be detrimental to the amenity of the area and/or would be conducive to, or encourage, the misuse or abuse of alcohol.
Daniel Murphy opened his first liquor store in 1952 in Prahran. After growing his business to five stores across Victoria, he sold to Woolworths in 1998. In 2019, Woolworths restructured its alcoholic drinks business to form the Endeavour Group which also owns BWS along with Young & Jackson in Melbourne.

Words: Donna Kelly