Farmland listing raises eyebrows amid DAL decision wait

A BELLARINE farmer fears a coming land sale could continue urban sprawl beyond Drysdale and drive him and his family out of agriculture.

Olive, cattle and sheep farmer Noel Osborne is concerned a listing next door to his property is being pitched as a residential or development opportunity, despite being in a farming zone.

The concern comes as a decision looms on the Bellarine Distinctive Area Landscape (DAL) that aims to preserve the region’s land values – qualities which Mr Osborne says are under threat from land banking and development.

The for-sale block is just south of the Drysdale Bypass, which is the proposed border of the town’s urban area under a draft planning policy for the DAL.

A block bordering the Osborne’s farm, at 153-185 Andersons Road, was listed for sale last month, with the three-hectare property expected to fetch $890,000 to $950,000 before tax.

For comparison, Rural Bank’s 2022 farmland values report indicated Moorabool Shire had the highest median farmland price in south-west Victoria, at just over $20,000 a hectare.

Documents from the 2017 approval of the bypass project show the land was subject to a compulsory acquisition overlay for the $117-million road upgrade.

Mr Osborne said he had inquired about buying the block and returning it to farming use but was worried the price range was out of reach for farmers.

He said housing at the site would jar with its intended use and with that of its neighbours, which include commercial farmers.

“Everyone’s saying we want to save the Bellarine, we want to stop the urban sprawl, we want to keep this rural aspect,” he said.

“It’s not pitched to a farmer, it’s pitched to a family that wants to build a house, have a pony, or wants to roar around on a motorbike.

“What will happen, is that if someone immediately comes and buys it and tries to do something with it that’s not a commercial farm operation, they’re going to be at odds with me.

“If that’s what you’re going to do to me, then I’ll pack up and get into retirement mode.”

The online listing for the Andersons Road block notes it is in a farming zone and suggests prospective buyers complete due diligence on existing land uses.

The listing comes as a long-running community fight to lock in town boundaries for Bellarine towns nears its end, with the state government to soon release the Bellarine DAL.

Mr Osborne was among the submitters to the process during its consultation phase, where he raised ongoing issues about his difficulty farming at his property due to urbanisation of its surrounds.

Planning Minister Lizzie Blandthorn has received a final recommendation report on the DAL for a decision on the 50-year planning policy.