CBCA offer ideas to improve Bellarine SPP

THE Combined Bellarine Community Associations (CBCA) say its members have a “broad consensus of support” for the direction of the third phase of the Bellarine Distinctive Area and Landscape (DAL) program but believe there are several areas where it can be strengthened.

Public consultation on the DAL’s Statement of Planning Policy (SPP) closed on August 20, and the CBCA – which collectively represents nine community associations on the peninsula – was one of the 637 submitters.

In their submission, authored by president Lawrence St Leger and secretary Chris Kelly, the CBCA applauded the 50-year vision within the SPP and acknowledged the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning’s (DELWP) recognition of the many issues raised by the CBCA in responding to the phase 2 discussion document.

The CBCA has largely listed their issues for improvement under five categories:

• Sharpening the Objectives and Strategies, and the language of the SPP, including renaming the Objectives to Goals and making them binding on all responsible public entities
• Development of an Implementation Plan, including a timeline, and strengthening the language of the SPP as “the use of ambiguous words and those which enable interpretation undermine the SPP’s intent in protecting and enriching the Bellarine”
• Retaining protected settlement boundaries and sustaining and enhancing the unique character of the Bellarine’s towns
• Protecting designated green breaks between towns, and
• Heritage, as “each township and their surrounds possess their own rich history, heritage and heritage values that need to be recognised, respected, conserved and protected”.

The CBCA also supports the City of Greater Geelong’s recommendation that DELWP provide a public report with responses to the matters raised in submissions to the SPP.

To read the 162 phase 3 submissions that consented to be publicly released, head to the Engage Victoria website.