Sport plan brings a rift
RURAL residents concerned that their Surf Coast lifestyle will be irreversibly damaged by a $350 million elite sports facility proposed for Modewarre say they are in the dark about specifics.
Two years after the Cape Otway Road Australia (CORA) project — which includes multiple sports fields, a 128-room hotel, wellness centre and sport science hub — was first floated, residents living at the doorstep of the 220ha site told a community meeting yesterday that more
THOUSANDS of protesters paddled into the water at a Torquay beach on Saturday to highlight their opposition to plans to drill for oil in the Great Australian Bight.
Joining counterparts around the country for a “national day of action”, protesters descended on Cosy Corner for the third Surf Coast paddle out held this year.
The ongoing rallies were sparked when Norwegian company Equinor signalled its intention to search for oil in The Bight. information was needed from its proponent.
Community concerns are paired with a Surf Coast Shire submission to the planning panel assessing the Cape Otway Rd project which states: DEVELOPMENT possibilities in an on-site conservation zone should be clearly spelled out; RESTORATION of the onsite wetland post construction should be a higher priority; THE SIZE of the development’s pool and playing fields should be revealed; and
AN UPGRADE to Cape Otway Rd should be prioritised.
Surfrider Foundation Australia and the Great Australian Bight Alliance have called on the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management
Lance Houlihan, whose street is earmarked as a service entry for the mammoth project, said it would put an end to the quiet rural lifestyle he enjoyed.
“It’s (proposed for) the wrong place, no one apart from the proponent called for it,” Mr Houlihan said.
Multiple residents said Connies Lane, where Mr Houlihan and others live, should not be used as an entrance to the facility where almost 40 eco-lodges are planned.
The proposal is backed by Surf Coast Shire’s submission, which will be voted on by coun
Authority to reject the plans.
Earlier this month, the authority issued a notice to Equinor requiring it to modify and resubmit its environment plan for the proposed drilling. cillors tomorrow.
But Planning Minister Richard Wynne will ultimately decide the project’s future.
A council report on the project states: “Council (officers) support the proposal and considers that CORA presents an exciting opportunity for the region.”
In the submission Surf Coast Shire’s environment and development general manager, Ransce Salan, wrote that Connies Lane should only be used for emergency access.
Modewarre landowner Austin Swain said if the project was rejected it would be a missed opportunity: “If my grandchildren can have an elite sporting facility on their doorstep, why not?” he said.
He said the project — being pitched to the world’s premier sporting clubs as a potential training facility and expected to require a workforce of about 200 people — would further boost the region’s tourist economy.
The project is also set to include an art gallery, sculpture park, retail precinct, a childcare centre, organic farm and auditorium.
If approved, the project’s proponent hope the facility will be operational by mid-2023. Since 2017 the proponent has undertaken four community events and online engagement but none in the past six months.
Changes to the project include retention of more native vegetation for a conservation area, and the removal of a wave pool and six caretaker dwellings.
A project spokesman did not respond to the Advertiser before deadline.
Submissions can be made until November 28 at engage. vic. gov. au/ CORA- advisory-committee.