Councillor’s Column: Bruce Harwood from the City of Greater Geelong, March 19

INTERESTING times indeed. A new viral strain has hit the world with such force that it has caused us to rethink how we live our lives.

It wasn’t that long ago that Geelong was just a small “sleepy hollow” way down on the south east coast of Australia. The world didn’t know that much about us and that was fine with most of us.

The Geelong region has now become one of the highest growth areas in Australia and everything we engage in is scrutinised, critiqued, judged and opined. We are now a world-renowned city with a UNESCO designation as a City of Design and population growth being fuelled by unprecedented demand for our region and its environment. We are on the world map and compete globally.

And it is the environment that drives and concerns us on a daily basis. The environment is not just our world class bays and beaches and rural aspects, it is also the built form of our homes, roads, community infrastructure, commercial and industry zones.

Council has been very conscious of our built form in recent years and the huge impact of this growth particularly on the Bellarine and the Armstrong Creek regions. This has led to genuine community concerns about traffic movement, loss of environment, lack of community infrastructure and general wellbeing.

Council is investing heavily in community infrastructure and with assistance from the federal and state governments this will continue. We have to work together in a collaborative way that gives maximum value for the money we spend (which is the community’s money) and gain the best outcomes.

Roads and infrastructre that are designed for long term futures and genuinely assist people moving around seamlessly. Increasing capacity for health and wellbeing activities like walking and cycling are all high on the agenda.

The massive investment in the Drysdale Bypass and sporting precinct are good examples. And after recently visiting the new Armstrong Creek sporting facilities it is amazing to see the impact this has had on the local communities. And also amazing is the strength and commitment of the locals to embrace their new club and get involved. But more help is required as the growth continues.

One issue that council is constantly working with the state government on is public transport. Growth areas need good integrated public transport systems that helps take pressure off congested roads. Again, the Bellarine and Armstrong Creek regions are good cases in point.

It is fair to say that the Bellarine has had considerable residential growth in recent years and has certainly done its share of helping with this regional burden. It’s now time to look at sustainable methods to address this and ensure the long-term future of what makes the Bellarine unique.

Council is engaged with the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning on the recently introduced Distinctive Areas and Landscape program. This program is designed to create specific areas that will be protected from future growth between the existing Bellarine townships. It’s not about stopping development completely, which is impossible, but being smarter and more strategic about how and where this might occur in our region as a whole. Community input is highly valued and critical to this program.

Today we are in an environment that needs us to consider everyone more than ever. This environment and our communities are changing quickly and under increasing stress. That is not to say we still don’t enjoy one of the most incredible places to live, at times we just need to be more mindful that we do have something that others around the world would love to have.

Cr Bruce Harwood
Kardinia Ward, City of Greater Geelong