April 2023
Bass Coast was declared a Distinctive Areas and Landscape (DAL) in 2019 in order to protect the area from over-development and environmental damage. However, exactly what will be protected and how is currently being determined by an Independent Planning Panel (IPP) who have been hearing submissions for about a month.
The Phillip Island and San Remo Advertiser has been keeping a close eye on the submission proceedings, and their most recent article can be read here.
A key issue is that of town boundaries, which determine where building can occur. Not surprisingly, developers are strongly pushing for expansion of town boundaries on Phillip Island in Newhaven (from Boys Home Rd to behind Panny’s Chocolates), Cape Woolamai (the airport), Ventnor (the Cadogan land made famous by Matthew Guy’s intervention). Increased development means significantly greater population and housing on the Island, eroding the green breaks between townships. There are other areas in the Shire where such changes are being sought but we are focussed upon the Island.
Whilst we do not know the outcome of the IPP, should we wish to appeal the outcome we will need to provide evidence of how Islanders feel about this change. We ran an online survey which has now closed and we’re currently analysing the results.
