Labor pledges better planning protections if it wins election

LABOR has flagged a considerable strengthening of planning laws for the Surf Coast and the Bellarine Peninsula if it wins November’s state election, pledging to protect the area from overdevelopment.

On Tuesday, Planning Minister Richard Wynne announced that a re-elected Labor government would declare both the Surf Coast and Bellarine Peninsula “A Distinctive Area and Landscape” under the Planning and Environment Act 1987.

The Macedon Ranges became the first declared area earlier this year.

Under the act, the declaration triggers a requirement for a Statement of Planning Policy, which will set permanent height controls and town boundaries to protect the environment, landscape and local lifestyle.

Any attempt to change these town boundaries must be agreed to by Parliament.

The Statement of Planning Policy would be developed within the first year of a re-elected Labor government in consultation with local councils and the community.

Mr Wynne said the planning protections would be enshrined in law.

“That means locals will be permanently protected from the kind of overnight deals with developers that flourished under Matthew Guy and the Liberals.”

Bellarine MP Lisa Neville said the pledge aimed to “protect our treasured communities and everything that is great about them”.

Labor candidate for South Barwon Darren Cheeseman said there was a desire in the community to revisit planning decisions that had been made over the past 10 years, and said he welcomed the opportunity for people to give feedback.

“There are a lot of different views out there, but I do think we need to review where we’re going to protect the real seaside nature of our villages.

“It’s a special place – we don’t want to wreck it. We don’t want to see Torquay become the Gold Coast on the Surf Coast.”

Labor’s pledge comes coincidentally at the same time that a number of Surf Coast community groups have announced their decision to form the Greater Torquay (GT) Alliance to push back against what they say is inappropriate and unplanned development in Torquay and surrounds.

The GT Alliance is lobbying for several things, including an independent impact assessment about the effects of growth on the Torquay area, permanent town boundaries, and the removal of Torquay’s status as a growth node.