Community oppose $20m Coles development at Swan Bay

MORE than 350 people have attended a community meeting aimed at stopping the development of a $20 million Coles supermarket in Swan Bay.

Residents of Queenscliff and Point Lonsdale continue to voice strong opposition to the proposal of the 3,000sqm Coles supermarket, a 150sqm Liquorland, approximately 150 car spaces and a large truck turning area at 2341–2349 Bellarine Highway.

Coles purchased the land on the corner of the Bellarine Highway and Fellows Road in Point Lonsdale earlier this year.

The supermarket giant is currently engaged in a land pre-application process, which allows a proponent to engage with the Department of Transport and Planning to determine whether a proposal is eligible for the Development Facilitation Program (DFP). The Department will then provide advice based on that assessment.

Under the DFP, the department can fast-track approval for the project and bypass “typical” council land obligations.

The site sits inside the City of Greater Geelong boundary but is on the border of the Borough of Queenscliffe council area. The city’s structure plan, which takes in the site, has designated the land for low-scale tourism use.

Local opposition group STOP Pt Lonsdale and Queenscliff Overdevelopment are hoping the planning minister will uphold the planning scheme and reject the proposal.

“This proposal is fundamentally at odds with everything the planning scheme says about Swan Bay, the gateway to Point Lonsdale, and the role of our shopping centres,” a spokesperson for the community group said.

“It is grossly out of character, environmentally risky, and economically destructive. We trust the minister will reject it.”

Group member Trish Berry said there had been a groundswell of support for the cause, with it gaining momentum across the Bellarine.

“Once it’s approved, unlike something that goes through VCAT with council, there is no appeal mechanism.

“There are issues on a number of levels. There are anomalies with the planning, but there’s also environmental issues with it potentially being built right on the back of the RAMSAR wetlands.

“Not only would it be ugly and intrusive, but it’s also going to cause significant ecological damage to the very fragile Swan Bay area.”

STOP Pt Lonsdale and Queenscliff Overdevelopment held two separate petition signing events over the weekend in Queenscliff and Point Lonsdale.

Volunteers have set up objection statement re-zone request signings at three locations to spread awareness of the potential development.