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Bellarine Peninsula – Distinctive Areas and Landscapes Phase Two Community Engagement Key Findings Report

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Bellarine Peninsula – Distinctive Areas and Landscapes Phase Two Community Engagement Key Findings Report Bellarine Peninsula – Distinctive Areas and Landscapes Phase Two Community Engagement Key Findings Report FINAL, 15 July 2020 REPORT © Capire Consulting Group Pty Ltd. This document belongs to and will remain the property of Capire Consulting Group Pty Ltd. All content is subject to copyright and may not be reproduced in any form without express written consent of Capire Consulting Group Pty Ltd. Authorisation can be obtained via email to [email protected] or in writing to: 96 Pelham Street Carlton VIC Australia 3053. Privacy Capire Consulting Group and any person(s) acting on our behalf is committed to protecting privacy and personally identifiable information by meeting our responsibilities under the Victorian Privacy Act 1988 and the Australian Privacy Principles 2014 as well as relevant industry codes of ethics and conduct. For the purpose of program delivery, and on behalf of our clients, we collect personal information from individuals, such as e-mail addresses, contact details, demographic data and program feedback to enable us to facilitate participation in consultation activities. We follow a strict procedure for the collection, use, disclosure, storage and destruction of personal information. Any information we collect is stored securely on our server for the duration of the program and only disclosed to our client or the program team. Written notes from consultation activities are manually transferred to our server and disposed of securely. Comments recorded during any consultation activities are faithfully transcribed however not attributed to individuals. Diligence is taken to ensure that any comments or sensitive information does not become personally identifiable in our reporting, or at any stage of the program. Capire operates an in-office server with security measures that include, but are not limited to, password protected access, restrictions to sensitive data and the encrypted transfer of data. For more information about the way we collect information, how we use, store and disclose information as well as our complaints procedure, please see www.capire.com.au or telephone (03) 9285 9000. Consultation Unless otherwise stated, all feedback documented by Capire Consulting Group and any person(s) acting on our behalf is written and/or recorded during our program/consultation activities. Capire staff and associates take great care while transcribing participant feedback but unfortunately cannot guarantee the accuracy of all notes. We are however confident that we capture the full range of ideas, concerns and views expressed during our consultation activities. Unless otherwise noted, the views expressed in our work represent those of the participants and not necessarily those of our consultants or our clients. DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT, LAND, WATER AND PLANNING, BELLARINE PENINSULA – DISTINCTIVE AREAS AND LANDSCAPES, FINAL, 15 JULY 2020 Executive summary 3 1 Introduction 7 1.1 Project background 7 1.2 Purpose of this report 9 2 Engagement approach 10 2.1 Objectives 10 2.2 Engagement activities and promotion 10 2.3 Engagement limitations 11 3 Participation 13 4 Engagement findings 15 4.1 Draft Vision 15 4.2 Strategic Directions 20 4.2.1 Landscapes 20 4.2.2 Biodiversity and environmental values 23 4.2.3 Heritage 25 4.2.4 Economy and Infrastructure 26 4.2.5 Environmental risks and resilience 29 4.2.6 Settlements 31 4.3 Extended responses 33 4.3.1 Vision 33 4.3.2 Strategic directions 34 4.3.3 Landscapes 34 4.3.4 Biodiversity and environmental values 35 4.3.5 Heritage 36 4.3.6 Economy and infrastructure 36 4.3.7 Environmental risks and resilience 37 4.3.8 Settlements 38 5 Next steps 40 Appendix A 41 2 Executive summary The Bellarine Peninsula is renowned for its attractive rural hinterland, boutique wineries and artisan producers. With coastal and historic towns, such as Queenscliff, and excellent beaches; it is one of Victoria's most prized tourism and recreation destinations. Given its proximity to Geelong and Melbourne, and reputation as an attractive and relaxed lifestyle destination, areas of the Bellarine Peninsula have been under increasing development pressure. In October 2019, the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP), in collaboration with the City of Greater Geelong, the Borough of Queenscliffe and Traditional Owners, the Wadawurrung People, declared the Bellarine Peninsula as a Distinctive Area and Landscape (DAL) under the Planning and Environment Act 1987. Following the declaration, a Statement of Planning Policy (SPP) is being developed to better protect the Bellarine Peninsula area’s unique landscapes, environment and lifestyle. This report presents a summary of the key findings from Phase Two of engagement for the Bellarine Peninsula DAL. The engagement commenced on 17 April 2020 and concluded on 14 June 2020. Due to the threat of COVID-19 and subsequent government imposed public distancing measures, all engagement was undertaken online. The engagement process sought to reach a broad range of residents and stakeholders from across the Bellarine Peninsula, to communicate that DELWP was working towards the development of a draft Statement of Planning Policy. The engagement sought feedback from the community on a draft 50-year vision for the Bellarine Peninsula, and strategic directions across six policy domains: Landscapes, Biodiversity and Environmental Values, Heritage; Economy and Infrastructure, Environmental Risks and Resilience, and Settlements. The process was designed and delivered by Capire Consulting Group (Capire) and supported by DELWP. A third phase of consultation will be undertaken from late-2020 to receive feedback on the draft SPP. During the engagement, approximately 2,046 people were informed on the project website, and approximately 307 people completed an online survey or made a submission. Online engagement feedback was consolidated, and comments were analysed. Feedback on the vision and strategic directions are reported on related to each policy domain. KEY FINDINGS Draft Vision Overall, more than 73 per cent of participants rated the vision statement positively in relation to each policy domain (Figure 1). Participants also provided suggestions for how the draft vision statement could be improved. A summary of this is outlined in Section 4.1 and in Section 4.3. 3 WWW.CAPIRE.COM.AU DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT, LAND, WATER AND PLANNING, BELLARINE PENINSULA – DISTINCTIVE AREAS AND LANDSCAPES, FINAL, 15 JULY 2020 Figure 1: Participants' rating of the Bellarine Peninsula's draft vision statement in relation to policy domains (n= between 130 to 134) Strategic Directions Participants were asked to consider the draft strategic directions for each of the six policy domains. Overall, strategic directions were well supported by participants (Figure 2). Participants also provided suggestions for how the draft strategic directions could be improved. A summary of this is outlined in Section 4.2 and in Section 4.3. Figure 2: Participants’ level of agreement with strategic directions across policy domains (n=between 164 to 168)) A summary of the feedback received related to each policy domain is outlined in Table 1. 4 Table 1: Summary of the feedback received related to each policy domain Landscapes The strategic directions for landscapes were strongly supported, with 91% of participants in strong agreement or agreement. Participants highlighted landscapes as a key attraction to the Bellarine Peninsula and noted the importance to protect and restore the distinctive landscapes. Biodiversity and environmental values The strategic directions for biodiversity and environmental values were most supported, with 94% of participants in strong agreement or agreement. These values were of high importance for the Bellarine Peninsula with a strong emphasis on needing to mitigate human impacts on the environment. Concerns were mainly raised around the impacts of settlements and population growth on the environment. Heritage 90% of participants were in strong agreement or agreement with the strategic directions. Participants most frequently supported for the involvement of the Wadawurrung people in the management, protection and enhancement of Aboriginal heritage (including sites, language and cultural practices). Some participants suggested to include the protection of early settlers’ history, maritime and war heritage in the direction. Economy and infrastructure 91% of participants were in strong agreement or agreement with the strategic directions. Participants highlighted the value of agricultural land, sustainable tourism and sensitive development, whilst also noting that the economy should not be prioritised over the environment, and that landscapes and environment support the Bellarine Peninsula’s economy as a key attraction. There was support for improving public transport infrastructure and the use of renewable energy and water resources. Environmental risks and resilience 93% of participants were in strong agreement or agreement with the strategic directions. They commented on the impacts of climate change, flooding, water management, drought and other human impacts. 5 WWW.CAPIRE.COM.AU DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT, LAND, WATER AND PLANNING, BELLARINE PENINSULA – DISTINCTIVE AREAS AND LANDSCAPES, FINAL, 15 JULY 2020 Settlements Although 87% of participants were in strong agreement or agreement with the strategic directions, they raised concerns about settlement and the settlement planning process, with mixed views on growth controls. Settlement was discussed as having effect
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