Record numbers attend town meeting opposing five-storey development

MORE than 100 community members gathered in Portarlington last week as the debate over a proposed main street development continues.

The Portarlington Community Association called a public meeting to discuss the controversial proposal to build a new multi-level complex on Portarlington’s main street.

President of the community association Geoff Fary said 130 people attended the meeting, making it the largest turnout in years.

The City of Greater Geelong’s Design Development Schedule 14 states buildings need to provide views of the coast and for buildings to be of an appropriate scale and design with respects to the architectural style of the street.

Mr Fary and those in attendance said the proposal failed to meet the city’s provisions.

Overlays were previously put in place by the city under Schedule 14 to ensure that “development occurred at an appropriate scale and character”.

“The town and the community association aren’t opposed to multi-unit developments per se,” Mr Fary said.

“This particular one on the northern side of the main street would block the view lines and so it was opposed in that location.”

Representatives from the City of Greater Geelong were in attendance, as well as representatives of MP Libby Coker and MP Lisa Neville.

The developers of the proposal withdrew their attendance citing COVID-19 concerns.

During the meeting a council representative confirmed that more than 120 objections had been lodged with reference to the height and position of the development as well as its impact on the village’s character.

A representative of Libby Coker said the costs to public amenity were too high and should therefore be rejected by council.

“The Portarlington foreshore is a significant landscape that needs to be protected,” Ms Coker said.

Ms Coker put forward a proposal for the land to be converted back to a botanic garden previously seen in 1905.

“We must seriously assess the benefit of returning the land to the community,” she said.

“The clear message from last Wednesday’s town meeting was that locals do not want to see this development go ahead.”

On the night Ms Neville made her support for the community clear.

“I will be ensuring that both the City of Greater Geelong and the Minister for Planning are well aware of my views and those of the community,” she said.

“In line with the State Government’s Distinctive Area Landscape declaration for the Bellarine, it is important that any future development does not inappropriately impact on a towns character or ambience, which I believe this proposed development does.”

A unanimous decision was passed to oppose the development with the recommendation that council reject the planning permit.

“I got the impression that the council will be moving cautiously on this,” Mr Fary said.

“There is a growing awareness in Portarlington that the population and the town are expanding, and the community wants to be in a position to influence that growth so it doesn’t distract from the special characteristics of the town.”

The Portarlington Community Association will next meet with key stakeholders to discuss the resolutions in a future meeting.