Is Bannockburn’s boom bad for biodiversity?

LOOKING thirty years into the future, an approved Bannockburn Growth Plan will map out the Victorian Planning Authority’s approach to the booming town’s sustainable growth.

Following community and Shire feedback on the document, which concluded in November, the draft Bannockburn Growth Plan is being assessed by the VPA’s Projects Standing Advisory Committee.

This review will identify where changes are needed in the document, before notifying the Minister for Planning Richard Wynne, and the broader VPA.

However, residents including Bannockburn Community Planning Group Inc’s Stuart McCallum, are concerned about large-scale urban expansion, and have made submissions to the VPA.

“There are upcoming challenges that extra development will place on the already struggling natural ecosystems; pest plants and animals, waterways, waste processing, transport,” he said.

“We want to see that some of the developer’s profits get set aside to pay for biodiversity conservation, buffer zones, and control of cats and rats.”

Mr McCallum added a “major unresolved issue” in the plan is what will happen with a growth area he’s termed, “Trident Road.”

“This heads east from Bannockburn, then suffers from three hypothetical arrows, as [planners] don’t know where it will go next.

“They are painted into a corner between two railway lines and Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act-protected seasonal herbaceous wetlands,” he said.

Other submissions to the VPA were made by former council candidate Cameron Steele, and the Ballarat Environment Network’s chair Peter Noble.

“The vision, principles and valued themes of the Bannockburn Growth Plan cannot be realised unless the threatening processes of weeds, cats, rodenticides, street lighting, rubbish and the planning mindset are radically attended to,” Mr Noble said.

“Failure to energetically and innovatively mitigate these threats places the aspirations of the BGP at odds with itself and its vision for the Bannockburn community, resulting in the inevitable decline of wildlife in the Bannockburn Flora and Fauna Reserve.

“Even greater is the threat by the fading neglect over time of local government and other responsible authorities, of the principles and guidelines of protecting the wildlife in the BFFR.”

The Bannockburn Community Planning Group recently held a three-day roundtable “marathon” via Zoom for Planning Panels Victoria.

“We hosted various consultants and a lawyer for the VPA, Aaron Shrimpton. Nat Anston for Harvey Road Developments was good at providing some sensible solutions which VPA took on board,” Mr McCallum said.

“Planning Panels Victoria are due to produce a report any day now. The purpose of this is to advise the VPA how best to proceed, given the wide variety of submissions.”

In February this year, the Golden Plains Shire made a Standing Advisory Committee submission also.

Their document stated that they supported most of the Growth Plan for 2050, except for a problem raised in the transport and movement section.

“[This] relates to the number of bridges crossing Bruces Creek, south of the Bannockburn-Shelford Road,” a spokesperson said.

“These bridges are considered very costly infrastructure, likely to cost in the order of tens of millions of dollars. Each bridge is anticipated to absorb a significant portion of… funds which will also be required for other classes of infrastructure.

“It is requested that only one bridge crossing is depicted… the crossing for the arterial road. This would not preclude the potential inclusion of further crossings… if investigations suggest they are financially achievable and necessary.”

A hearing by the Standing Advisory Committee was held in March, and the Bannockburn Growth Plan is expected to be approved by May.

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