City council endorses Surf Coast SPP, seeks clarification

THE City of Greater Geelong council has endorsed the final Surf Coast Statement of Planning Policy (SPP), but has also asked the state government for long-awaited advice on what it should do with it.

The end result of the Surf Coast Distinctive Area and Landscape (DAL) program, the SPP sets out a 50-year vision and land use strategies to better protect the unique features of the declared land in the DAL.

Although centred on Torquay and Jan Juc, this declared land extends north of the Surf Coast Shire’s border at Mount Duneed Road and into the City of Greater Geelong, including Mount Duneed up to the Armstrong Creek Urban Growth Boundary and a small part of Breamlea.

The council opposed to the land north of Mount Duneed Road being part of the DAL in late 2019, resolving its position following concerns from landholders and writing to the Planning Minister, who noted the council’s position in February 2020, but did not remove Mount Duneed from the declared area.

The Planning Minister wrote to Geelong’s mayor on April 14 this year requesting that the council endorse the final SPP, and councillors considered the matter at their meeting on July 26.

The officers’ report recommended the council endorse the SPP “given the time and resources taken to get to this point”, but despite “shortcomings” in advice and resources from the state.

“Given the length of time this process has been going (commenced late 2019) it is noted that fundamental guidance on the operation of the SPP, such as the Practice Note and Statement of Expectations have still not been completed,” the report stated.

“There is also still little to no understanding of how DELWP [Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning] and councils will work together to deliver some of the strategic work identified.

“This is despite the fact the City and Surf Coast Shire made it clear in submissions that it was not reasonable to expect local councils to deliver this state government project without additional resourcing.”

At the meeting, councillors resolved to agree with the recommendation to write to the Planning Minister that the council not only endorsed the Surf Coast SPP, but also requested clarity on the role of a Responsible Public Entity and details of how the SPP should be used, and sought confirmation DELWP would lead and resource the SPP’s implementation.

Speaking at the meeting, Cr Kylie Grzybek said there had been “significant community opposition and pushback” from Armstrong Creek and Mount Duneed residents.

She said the Surf Coast SPP would be used to help establish the long-term settlement boundaries for the whole of the City of Greater Geelong later this year.

Cr Bruce Harwood said part of the city had become part of the Surf Coast, “albeit by default”.

“The initial response was that perhaps this is not the best outcome for Geelong at this point in time, but we find ourselves where we are today with the current boundary being on our current Settlement Strategy boundary.

“It will have significant impacts on the community, and I think it will raise a lot of questions as we go into the future about where are our future development opportunities for the south.”