Community open houses kick off on the Bellarine this weekend

THE Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) will start hosting community open houses on the Bellarine from this weekend to give community members a say on over development controls and settlement boundaries.

DELWP is working in partnership with the City of Greater Geelong, the Borough of Queenscliffe and Traditional Owners, the Wadawurrung, to declare the Bellarine Peninsula a Distinctive Area and Landscape under the Planning and Environment Act 1987.

Once declared, a Statement of Planning Policy will be prepared which will include a 50-year vision and strategies, including long-term settlement boundaries, to better protect the unique features of the Bellarine Peninsula for current and future generations.

Open house sessions will be conducted in: Portarlington on Saturday, June 22 at Portarlington Parks Hall (87 Newcombe Street) between 11am and 1pm

St Leonards on Monday, June 24 at St Leonards Reserve Hall (2 Cole Street) between 11am and 1pm Queenscliff on Monday, June 24 at Queenscliff Uniting Church Hall (corner Hesse and Stokes Street) between 5pm and 7pm

Barwon Heads on June 27 at Barwon Heads Community Hall (77 Hitchcock Ave) between 11am and 1pm

Ocean Grove on June 27 at Ocean Grove Community Hub (1 John Dory Drive) between 6pm and 8pm

Drysdale on June 28 at St James Hall (55 Collins Street) between 6pm and 8pm.

Leopold on June 29 at Leopold Community Hub (31-39 Kensington Road) between 10am and 12pm.

An online survey also allows locals to identify what they value in the Bellarine Peninsula, what they believe are the threats to these values; and how you think these values could be better protected.

To take part in the survey, head to engage.vic. gov.au.

The project comes after a re-elected Andrews Labor Government last year pledged to permanently protect the Surf Coast and Bellarine Peninsula from over development, with planning protection enshrined in law.

The final statement of planning policy is expected to be complete in mid-2020.