BELLARINE PENINSULA MUST BE PROTECTED

GOING, going, gone! What is? “Bellarine at Bursting Point” (GA 30/9).

The amenity, beauty and tourism values of The Bellarine will be lost if the population and urbanisation of the peninsula is increased to the extent proposed by council planners in the Vision for Geelong.

The CoGG Settlement Strategy based on an aspirational strong growth scenario (G21) would have Geelong’s population increase from the current 235,000 to 352,000. This is a 50 per cent population growth with over one fifth (21 per cent) of this proposed population being housed on the Bellarine Peninsula. Over the last five years one third of residential lot construction has been on the Bellarine, with Leopold and Ocean Grove receiving most.

In 2014, the Victorian Government chose the Bellarine Peninsula as one of four special areas in Victoria to prepare a localised planning statement. The report states “these highly valued areas have significant geographic and physical features, which contribute to the quality of life for Victorians and are a significant part of our state”.

The report describes The Bellarine as having “high quality rural landscapes with cropping, grazing, viticulture and horticulture, proximity to the coast and extensive environmental and historic assets”.

Urbanisation of this magnitude would not only destroy the amenity for residents but would severely reduce the tourist attraction (a major industry) of the whole area. The mix of wetlands, beaches, lighthouses at the entrance to Port Phillip Bay, rural landscapes, towns, local produce and a number of wineries to visit, all contribute to an area worth preserving for now and the future. Joan Lindros, Geelong Environment Council