City wants answers on DAL execution

THE City of Greater Geelong council has supported outcomes from the Bellarine Distinctive Area and Landscape (DAL) process but wants more clarity on implementation and its role in delivering the plan.

The city will request the state government’s planning department oversees law changes to enact key recommendations and outlines expectations for the city’s role in future planning decisions for Bellarine developments.

The city has raised concern at a lack of detail in the DAL’s final Statement of Planning Policy (SPP) regarding how the strategy would take effect and who would be responsible for enforcing rule changes.

The city has indicated the state government’s Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) would have the appropriate resources to be the lead agency to deliver outcomes including zone and overlay changes.

A last week’s council meeting, councillors resolved to approve a recommendation for the city to write to the Planning Minister to confirm the decision-making hierarchy, and request a Statement of Expectations and release of a practice note on how the SPP should be used.

The SPP, which the state government finalised in October, outlines a 50-year planning strategy for Bellarine towns, which includes protected settlement boundaries to prevent further urban sprawl.

Bellarine Ward councillor Stephanie Asher said this week that the final document had vindicated several years of campaigning from herself and fellow ward councillors Trent Sullivan and Jim Mason to protect the area from overdevelopment.

“We all share sustainable development of our special local area as probably the key motivator for putting our hands up for this job.”

The council also acknowledged help from local communities, city officers and retired Bellarine MP Lisa Neville for their role in protecting the Bellarine landscape.

“This will provide certainty in planning and unrealistic development proposals will be quelled for the foreseeable future,” Cr Mason said.

Other councillors were also supportive of the final SPP but said it would likely create planning challenges to appropriately develop new growth areas in greater Geelong and manage increasing housing affordability problems.