LIBERAL MINISTER PUTS TORQUAY COASTAL CHARACTER AT RISK
Friday, 22 July 2011 00:48
The decision by the new Victoria Planning Minister, Mathew Guy, to over-ride the Surf Coast Shire and bulldoze through a development in the Spring Creek Valley in Torquay, coming on top of two other Ministerial interventions on coastal land sales in the first 200 days of Government, shows the Victorian Coastal Strategy is now at risk, along with the Victorian coastline, Federal MP, Darren Cheeseman, said today.
“The Spring Creek decision will go down as the worst Ministerial planning intervention since Erskine House, which effectively destroyed a large part of the Lorne foreshore,” Federal MP Darren Cheeseman said today.
“After all the recent work to get the Great Ocean Road National Heritage listed, the very first thing the new Victorian does is facilitate urban sprawl at the entrance and gateway of the Great Ocean Road. The mind boggles.”
“This decision is a shocker and a very clear back-flip on an election commitment, but it is the context of this decision amongst a series of other coastal development decisions that should really concern every Victorian.” (See Liberal election commitment on Spring Creek below.)
“The over-riding message from Mr Guy is Victoria’s coastline is for sale.”
Inside the first year in office Planning Minister Matthew Guy has over-ruled three coastal councils on coastal developments, removing the interim development controls on private land between the Portland and Narrawong coastal area in the Glenelg Shire and overturning a decision by the Bass Coast Shire in Gippsland to block a coastal subdivision, and now truncating a public consultation process by the Surf Coast Shire and taking the decision out of its hands.
“Allowing suburban sprawl and shopping development to the west of Torquay alongside the Great Ocean Road and opposite Bells Beach is about as appropriate as putting an oil rig inside Ningaloo Reef.”
“But it also sends a signal that they are going to abandon the Victorian Coastal Strategy, which is acknowledged around Australia as the leading edge piece of coastal management policy,” Darren Cheeseman said.
Darren Cheeseman said the cloak being put forward by Mr Guy that the decision was about housing affordability was ludicrous.
“It has nothing to do at all with housing affordability and will have little or no effect on housing affordability. It is about a ghung ho development ideology, which I believe is against a great Victorian tradition of protecting our coastlines and coastal views.”
“Whilst trades jobs are very important to our community, development needs to be controlled development not willy nilly in all directions. The character of Torquay needs to be maintained.”
“We have 22,000 homes coming on line at Armstrong Creek and homes for ten thousand more people in Torquay north. There is a lifetime of work available for young tradespeople as things stand right now without any further development.”
Alan Stokes from the National Sea Change Taskforce also says councils along the Victorian coast are confused by Mr Guy's decision.
(See below for Liberal Spring Creek election commitment.)
For more information, ring Joe Taylor 0416241653.
FROM GEELONG INDEPENDENT
Spring Creek ‘split’
Erin Pearson
A COALITION state government would refuse to rezone Torquay’s Spring Creek for development, according to South Barwon candidate Andrew Katos.
But incumbent MP Michael Crutchfield said some development could go ahead under a returned State Labor Government depending on whether council sought rezoning.
The next Government is set to decide the fate of Spring Creek when it receives recommendations from council’s 2040 strategy. The strategy will recommend growth options for Torquay and Jan Juc, including Spring Creek.
The Government would have to agree to any rezoning application to allow development of the land.
Mr Katos committed a coalition government to saving Spring Creek.
A coalition government would allow council to protect the area under new planning laws reducing minimum-size farming allotments from 40 to 12 hectares, he said.
Mr Katos said applying the proposed laws would make Spring Creek “off the cards” for development.
He was aware Torquay and Jan Juc residents were overwhelmingly opposed to residential “intrusion” into Spring Creek.
Mr Katos said Spring Creek was “meant for” small-acreage farming.
He also ruled out farmers using the proposed laws to subdivide Spring Creek for “rural living” allotments.
Mr Crutchfield said he opposed development in Spring Creek beyond town boundaries.
Earlier this year, Planning Minister Justin Madden announced Torquay’s town boundary had expanded to include a farming area extending into the creek land one-kilometre west of Duffields Road. A developer has earmarked the land for development.
“I’d prefer it not to be rezoned but it’s up to council to decide the town boundary. They don't have to rezone it for residential,” Mr Crutchfield said.
He was aware residents had “spoken loud and clear” against development in Spring Creek.
“I certainly support their view. I certainly don't support any further development of the town boundary further than what's already been established."
