Have your say on planning, growth

Want high rise apartments in Cowes and San Remo? Feel strongly about locking in town boundaries? Concerned neighbourhoods are looking more like Cranbourne than Cowes?

If so then Bass Coast Shire wants to hear from you so they can create three new planning policies: a Neighbourhood Character Study, a Housing Strategy, and a Residential Development Framework to help manage future population growth.

Councillors at last week’s meeting voted to give the green light to start community consultation that will lead to the drafting of the new policies.

Stage one of community consultation will run from August 22 to September 16 with online meetings and drop-in sessions, including:

• Saturday August 27, 9.30am-11.30am – St Philip’s Anglican Church (meeting room), Cowes;
• Saturday August 27, 1.30pm-3.30pm – San Remo Recreation Reserve (blue room).

Stage two will see feedback on an initial draft from December 2022 to February 2023.

The Neighbourhood Character Study involves the preparation of design guidelines that will inform the character of new residential developments.

The Housing Strategy will identify housing needs and where housing growth can occur.

The Residential Development Framework will inform the application of zones and overlays that are needed to ensure new development respects the preferred neighbourhood character.

Growth

Last week councillors voted to release the Bass Coast Residential Market, Demand and Supply Assessment report, ahead of the community consultation (see separate stories).

That report found the median house price in Bass Coast is now in-line with Greater Geelong at about $750,000 and is the highest of any peri-urban municipality.

It also found Cowes is running out of land for development and Wonthaggi is expected to take the bulk of new residents in Bass Coast, with a forecast population of 48,140 by 2036, and 10,000 new homes needed.

Cr Rochelle Halstead said if the community gave feedback “it will give us the ability to stop development that isn’t in line with what we’re trying to achieve”.

Cr Ronnie Bauer lamented the neighbourhood character and housing strategies were not introduced much earlier.

“In a very real way the genie is out of the bottle,” Cr Bauer said. “The damage has already been done.”

Cr Bruce Kent said this was an opportunity for the community to guide future planning. “Should we be as large as this future assessment suggests? The power is in the community’s hands.”

Mayor Michael Whelan said the predicted population growth presents a challenge for council.

“Not only will we need to adequately plan for it, but we will also need to ensure that appropriate planning policies and controls are in place, to protect the valued attributes within our townships, where a new development is proposed,” Cr Whelan said.

“The Neighbourhood Character Study, Housing Strategy and Residential Development Framework will build on and complement the state government’s Distinctive Areas and Landscapes program, to ensure council is well equipped to sustainably manage the forecasted population growth.”

Details: www.engage.basscoast.vic.gov.au/neighbourhoodcharacterhousing or contact Council’s planning department.

Comparison of housing demand and supply across Bass Coast.