Cape Woolamai public park mooted

Planning

An ambitious proposal to transform the airport land at Newhaven into a public park has been mooted by one of Phillip Island's peak community groups.

The Phillip Island Conservation Society (PICS) has flagged the new proposal ahead of a June 22 public meeting that has been called by local groups to create a vision for the future of Phillip Island, with the community encouraged to attend the event to have their say.

Meanwhile, the owner of the airport land has distanced himself from a proposal last year to create a recreation hub on the property, with a website still promoting the hub and mooting a community pool, caravan park, sports accommodation, dog park and nature reserve.

PICS is now calling on the land to be purchased by the Bass Coast Shire, with a public acquisition overlay applied to the land to ensure it is sold to the community.

PICS last week released a statement saying the privately-owned airport land behind Cape Woolamai was effectively at a stalemate, zoned farming and was last year declared under the state government's Distinctive Areas and Landscape (DAL) legislation to be free from subdivision for the next 50 years.

Prior to the DAL, the owners Glen Waverley Real Estate were seeking to redevelop the 47-hectare land for housing.

Last year the owners put the land on the market for sale, understood to have an asking price of $25 million, and advertised as a "land bankers delight".
The property is now no longer on the market and has not sold.

Park

The PICS statement says the last plane flew down the airport's runway in 2015, with a small section used for helicopters now.

"For many years now the airport land at Cape Woolamai has been not used as an airport other than the helicopter service," PICS says.

"It is unlikely the airport land could be used for development.

"The Phillip Island Conservation Society believe this is an opportune time to have a review of the role and function of that land into the future."

The statement says "at some point in the future" there could be an opportunity to acquire the airport land as public open space for the south coast communities.

"If the council saw merit in the proposal, it could apply a Public Acquisition Overlay (POA) in the planning scheme to enable it to become public open space in the future."

Hub?

As reported in July 2025, the airport land was being flagged as a site for the Woolamai Recreation Hub, which continues to have a web site proposing a variety of projects on the land including a community pool, caravan park, group and sports accommodation, dog park and nature reserve.

There continues to be no feasibility study, business case, or formal plans submitted to council or the public.

Derek Harbison, who describes himself as the hub project manager, last year said he was working with the owner of the land to develop the proposal, which would see a "concessional lease" model, with other potential businesses on the site including accommodation and sports grounds.

Owner Rod Patch last week confirmed he now has "no association with Derek Harbison".

"He made approaches to us that were not satisfactory," Mr Patch said.
In 2017 the airport landowner offered to build a community hospital in return for planning permission to subdivide the land for housing.

That hospital proposal had little detail available and did not progress in the face of council scrutiny.

Demand

The PICS statement says the population of towns along the south coast of the island have "increased significantly" in the past decade, underscoring the need for public open space.

Ten years ago Cape Woolamai was described by council as a "coastal village" with a population up to 1000, but the last 2021 census put that population above 2300.

"It is predicted to go to over 3000 this year."

Surf Beach and Sunderland Bay were described as "hamlets with populations up to 500" a decade ago, but this year they are expected to have a population of more than 1500.

"When originally subdivided, these "holiday home" outer estates were not envisaged as urban population centres with many permanent residents," PICS says.

"Most of the public open space for the areas was in fact wildlife habitat for shearwaters, which nest there.

"All three housing estates have little public open space other than a playground at Cape Woolamai and a barbecue shelter at Surf Beach. Residents are increasingly being forced to use the beaches as their public open space."

PICS says planning policy proposes there should be a 5 per cent open space provision for urban areas, which means for the three estates "there is a deficit of about 22 hectares".

"There is clearly a disparity which needs to be addressed by council."

Furthermore, the residents of these towns already use the airport land as a public park, with "many tracks and trails through it".

"The open nature of the airport land has long been adopted by the local community as informal recreational space, though unauthorised to do so."

PICS says large areas of the land have high value for native vegetation and native wildlife habitat.

The site is in a Bushfire Prone Area, with an Environmental Significance Overlay, Significant Landscape Overlay and area of Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Sensitivity applying to the southern quarter.

"The extent of native vegetation remaining on site today holds habitat for wildlife but the overall area has significant potential for further environmental recovery."

Details: Phillip Island 2050 forum. Monday June 22, 5.30pm - 7pm, Phillip Island RSL.

Register your interest at: islandvoice@islandprogress.com.au