DISTINCTIVE AREA AND LANDSCAPE Draft Bellarine Peninsula Statement of Planning Policy

Acknowledgment

We acknowledge and respect the Traditional Owners of the Wadawurrung land and waters, their unique ability to care for Country and deep spiritual connection to it. We honour Elders past and present whose knowledge and wisdom has ensured the continuation of culture and traditional practices.

We are committed to genuinely partner and meaningfully engage with Traditional Owners to support the protection of their Country, the maintenance of spiritual and cultural practices and their broader aspirations in the 21st century and beyond.

In 2019, the Victorian Government declared the To give effect to the declaration, the Department of and parts of the City of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) has Greater — the Bellarine Peninsula — a prepared a draft Statement of Planning Policy (SPP) ‘distinctive area and landscape’ under Part 3AAB for the Bellarine Peninsula declared area to guide of the Planning and Environment Act 1987. decision-making by responsible public entities. The draft SPP sets out: The declaration recognises the unique features and special characteristics of the Bellarine Peninsula to be • a 50-year vision, which identifies the values and protected and conserved including the connection and attributes the community wants to protect and stewardship of Traditional Owners in relation to land, enhance and it seeks to enable more integrated decision-making • policy objectives and strategies to guide the future by responsible public entities. uses, development and management of land in the declared area, to achieve the vision • a declared area framework plan, which specifies areas for conservation, long-term protected settlement boundaries and areas for change within established areas.

01 Public consultation on the Draft Bellarine Peninsula Statement of Planning Policy is now underway

DELWP has prepared the draft Bellarine planning schemes (such as the recently approved Peninsula SPP together with Traditional Owners Greater Geelong Settlement Strategy 2020), by the the Wadawurrung, the Borough of Queenscliffe, progress of councils’ strategic planning work and by the the and other relevant findings of technical studies undertaken by DELWP. government agencies and authorities. Further information on the declaration and draft The draft SPP has been informed by two phases of Statement of Planning Policy, including frequently public engagement that involved significant feedback asked questions, can be found at https://engage.vic. by local communities. The draft SPP has also been gov.au/distinctive-areas-and-landscapes-program/ informed by the existing policies and planning bellarine-peninsula provisions of the Queenscliffe and Greater Geelong

These are the main proposals in the draft Bellarine Peninsula SPP.

A vision for the next 50 years • historic heritage: the Bellarine Peninsula’s maritime history, culture and attractions (such as Queenscliff The draft SPP’s vision is that the Bellarine Peninsula and Portarlington) is a sustainable, diverse region with thriving rural • natural resources and productive land of and coastal communities. Its unique natural beauty, significance, which support a flourishing economy Wadawurrung living cultural and its historic heritage, based on sustainable and responsible tourism, ecological significance, distinctive landscapes and agriculture and aquaculture, other natural resource identity are widely recognised and celebrated. uses and industries • strategic infrastructure and built form of significance: the Bellarine Peninsula is famed for Policy domains its seaside and semi-rural lifestyle within proximity to Geelong and - development must The draft SPP provides a framework for decision- be sympathetic to townships’ character, sensitive making in relation to the future use and development of environment and landscape setting. land within the declared area. It contains objectives and strategies to protect and conserve the declared area’s The draft SPP also recognises the importance of unique values and distinctive attributes and provide mitigating environmental risks posed by bushfire and certainty for development. The declared area’s unique climate change and proposes objectives and strategies values and distinctive attributes are its: to improve environmental resilience.

• rich Aboriginal cultural heritage: the declared Settlement boundaries area is Wadawurrung Country with significant and enduring living cultural heritage The draft SPP proposes protected settlement boundaries • landscape significance: the dramatic state for all towns and villages on the Bellarine Peninsula. significant southern coast and tranquil bay settings, superb views, internationally significant These boundaries set limits to the outward urban wetlands and the hinterland between settlements expansion of settlements, protecting the declared • environment and biodiversity including the habitat area’s significant landscapes, environment, cultural of endangered and threatened species and heritage and agriculture and other natural resources as distinctive places (such as the Ocean Grove Nature well as each settlement’s unique values and distinctive Reserve, Buckley Park Foreshore Reserve, Point attributes. They can only be changed through a Richards Flora and Fauna Reserve, legislative process, providing communities with long- Wildlife Reserve, Heads Marine National term certainty. Park, Barwon Bluff Marine Sanctuary and other coastal reserves and wetlands) 02 The draft SPP identifies protected settlement boundaries need to be established around areas of urban Geelong, including Moolap and the Armstrong Have your say Creek Urban Growth Area. The finalisation of these boundaries will be informed by strategic planning work DELWP invites submissions from the led by the City of Greater Geelong in collaboration with general public, community groups, DELWP, other relevant agencies and authorities. responsible public entities, industry representatives and other interested Housing change areas parties about the Draft Bellarine Peninsula Statement of Planning Policy. The draft SPP identifies three types of housing change areas. Identifying these areas makes clear The draft SPP and the process for making where within settlements future housing may be submissions can be found at https://engage. accommodated. This means there is greater certainty vic.gov.au/distinctive-areas-and-landscapes- for investors — leading to more jobs and a strong program/bellarine-peninsula. local economy — while retaining the highly valued settlement and coastal characters of the Bellarine Submissions must be lodged before 5:00 pm Peninsula’s towns and villages. Friday 20 August 2021.

The housing change areas proposed are: Submissions will be treated as public documents and will be published on the • minimal change areas: residential areas with Victorian Government’s engagement website special neighbourhood, heritage, environmental or https://engage.vic.gov.au/distinctive-areas- landscape characteristics requiring protection. and-landscapes-program/bellarine-peninsula. • incremental change areas: residential areas Do not include any personal information in the suitable for moderate urban consolidation, body of your submission (such as your email providing housing diversity while respecting coastal address or phone number). and landscape character of the township. • substantial change areas: these are urban If you would like any further information please consolidation areas in and around town and activity call our information line on 136 186 (open centres in the larger district towns of Leopold, Ocean 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday) or email us at Grove and Drysdale/Clifton Springs. [email protected].

© The State of Department of Environment, Land, Accessibility Water and Planning 2021 If you would like to receive this publication in an alternative format, please telephone the DELWP Customer Service Centre on This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence. You are free to re-use the work 136186, email [email protected]. under that licence, on the condition that you credit the gov.au, or via the National Relay Service State of Victoria as author. The licence does not apply to any images, photographs or branding, including the on 133 677 www.relayservice.com.au. Victorian Coat of Arms, the Victorian Government logo and This document is also available on the the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning internet at www.delwp.vic.gov.au. (DELWP) logo. To view a copy of this licence, visit http:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Disclaimer This publication may be of assistance to you but the State of Victoria and its employees do not guarantee that the publication is without flaw of any kind or is wholly appropriate for your particular purposes and therefore disclaims all liability for any error, loss or other consequence which may arise from you relying on any information in this publication.

03 Proposed Bellarine Peninsula framework plan

Port Phillip Bay

Portarlington See Map 15 Indented Head See Map 13

Geelong Drysdale/Clifton To Geelong Springs and Melbourne See Map 9 St Leonards See Map 16

Leopold See Map 10

l Trail

Rai

To Geelong

Ocean Grove To Surf See Map 11 Coast Shire Queenscliff See Map 17 Barwon Heads See Map 12 See Map 14

Bass Strait

Bendigo

Ballarat Melbourne 0 2.5 5 Geelong

Kilometres

LEGEND

Regional city Landscapes and environment Tourism, agriculture, natural resources and infrastructure District town Landscapes - Conserve and enhance the A large town providing a diversity of housing, declared area’s significant landscapes with Green breaks services and employment for a large, diverse the greatest protection provided in areas of Potential location for agricultural, population, which has a strong relationship highest significance* natural resources and/or with surrounding villages and rural areas nature-based tourism land uses Village State significant landscape: that protect and enhance A small settlement with a small population, Bellarine Peninsula Southern significant landscape features which integrates with its rural and natural Coast Strategic water assets surrounds *Note: Areas not designated as state Protected settlement boundary significant are the regionally significant Swan Support recycled water use Bay , and , Aquaculture Declared area boundary and Bellarine Northern Coast and Central Protected settlement boundary to Hills landscapes Sub regional theme park be defined subject to strategic Road corridor views Sport and recreation precinct planning work Manage the development of Airfield Local Government Area infrastructure to maintain views to the rural hinterland and/or coasts Safe harbour Urban area Significant view Ferry route Rural living Waterways Highway Conserve and restore native Aboriginal cultural heritage and vegetation along waterway corridors Main road historic heritage Lakes Rail Trail The entire declared area and beyond is Wadawurrung Ramsar wetlands Movement network Country. The declared area’s Aboriginal cultural heritage Support a sustainable transport values must be conserved, strengthened and promoted Parks and reserves network that enhances the in partnership with the Wadawurrung. declared area’s distinctive Golf course attributes 04