Draw the line: Bellarine DAL to hold hearings on settlement boundaries

PERMANENT boundaries around the Bellarine’s towns continue to be a flashpoint in the peninsula’s Distinctive Area and Landscape (DAL) program, with the Victorian government to hold a dedicated public hearing on the issue.

There were more than 600 submissions about the draft Bellarine Peninsula Statement of Planning Policy (SPP), and DAL project director Mia Davidson said in an email this week that a review “found that there were divided views on the matter of the proposed settlement boundaries”.

As a result, Planning Minister Richard Wynne announced this week he had referred the relevant public submissions about the boundaries to the DAL’s Standing Advisory Committee (SAC) for independent advice.

The committee has been requested to advise on whether the protected settlement boundaries in the draft SPP are appropriate and whether any amendments to those protected settlement boundaries should be made.

Permanently fixing the borders of the Bellarine Peninsula’s towns is one of the key features of the DAL, which was declared for the Bellarine Peninsula in 2019.

The issue has been hotly debated – particularly in Ocean Grove – with landowners and developers arguing the boundaries are too strict and will limit housing options, and residents and community groups arguing for no more urban development and that the character of their towns should be protected.

Of the more than 600 submissions to the SPP, only 164 consented to be released publicly, so the exact level of support (or not) on the specific question of protected settlement boundaries is difficult if not impossible to determine.

The SAC process will be run by Planning Panels Victoria.

People and groups whose submissions have been referred to the committee will be contacted this month to make arrangements for the committee’s public process, including dates for a directions hearing and a public hearing.

It is not yet known how the long the public hearing will run for, but in comparison, the SAC’s hearing on the Surf Coast DAL considered more than 3,000 submissions and ran for about six weeks.

The final Bellarine Peninsula Statement of Planning Policy is expected to be produced by the middle of this year, subject to the outcomes of the SAC process.

“This process is the best way to deliver a thorough investigation for this important area − ensuring the character of the Bellarine Peninsula is preserved while taking the views of the community into account,” Mr Wynne said.

“I want to make sure the character of the Bellarine Peninsula is protected as part of the Andrews Labor Government’s work to preserve our distinctive areas and landscapes.

“Delivering the final Statement to Planning Policy for Bellarine is a priority, and we will be acting with urgency to finalise it by mid-year.”

For more information or to read the draft SPP or submissions, head to the Engage Victoria website.