Community shares its view on CORA

COMMUNITY members and groups voiced their thoughts on the Cape Otway Road Australia (CORA) development to the Advisory Committee appointed by the Minister for Planning during the recent 10-day hearing.

Reflecting the submissions sent during the development’s public exhibition stage, most community members who spoke at the hearing were opposed to the development of the proposed $350 million elite sport centre and tourist destination.

Frequent topics raised before the panel were concerns about the impact to the local environment, the character of the township and road safety.

Speaking at the hearing, Luke Keane described CORA as a “white elephant” and suggested the existing plans left plenty of scope for the developers to alter the project’s nature and use some of the land for subdivision.

He said all the questions the Surf Coast Shire council had raised before and during the hearing meant he was “not sure why they endorsed it in the first place”.

Some local groups expressed support for CORA. Both Winchelsea Football Netball Club and Modewarre Cricket Club provided submissions supporting the development.

Modewarre resident Heather McFarlane criticised several aspects of the development. She suggested the effect on local environment would be permanent.

“Once you turn the sod of soil, then there is damage,” she said.

She also said the sound from the development would be “disturbing to all the residents”.

In CORA’s concluding statement, representative Emily Porter said Ms McFarlane’s statements contradicted the information they had received from professionals.

“Ms McFarlane’s submission was deeply cynical and, we think, unfair in the characterisation of the CORA proposal.”

Robert Bullen expressed concerns over the risks the added traffic would bring.

“Cape Otway Road and its intersections with arterial roads are already stressed and dangerous,” he said.

“The government also acknowledges this with the Black Spot program sign on the entry into Modewarre on Cape Otway Road.”

He said the large influx of tourists CORA was expected to bring meant infrastructure would have to be drastically improved.

The Houlihan family, whose house on Connies Lane would see them surrounded by the development, also spoke against the proposal.

Lance Houlihan said given the toll CORA had already had on him and other Connies Lane residents, he felt the conclusions of the Social Impact Assessment CORA ran were untrue.

“I disagree that the impact to me, the Connies Lane residents and the broader community would be reasonable.”

CORA’s concluding submission stated they would remove references to Connies Lane being used as an emergency access road.