SURF COAST PLANNING SCHEME AMENDMENT C38 SALINITY MANAGEMENT OVERLAYS PANEL REPORT MAY 2009 SURF COAST PLANNING SCHEME AMENDMENT C38 SALINITY MANAGEMENT OVERLAYS PANEL REPORT Cathie McRobert, Chair Gordon Anderson, Member MAY 2009 Page 1 Surf Coast Planning Scheme Amendment C38 This is the report of the Panel appointed under Sections 151 and 153 of the Planning and Environment Act 1987 (‘the Act’) to consider the Amendment. The Surf Coast Planning Scheme Amendment C38 Amendment Purpose of To implement the Corangamite Catchment Management Amendment Authority (CCMA) Salinity Management Overlay Project by amending the Surf Coast Planning Scheme to: reference salinity in the Municipal Strategic Statement; introduce the Salinity Management Overlay(SMO); and apply the Environmental Significance Overlay ‐ Schedule 1 to saline wetlands and primary salinity areas. Planning Surf Coast Shire. Authority: The Surf Coast Shire prepared the Amendment in co‐operation with CCMA. Authorisation: Amendment C38 Authorisation A664 (dated 27 March 2007): required the Amendment to be submitted to the Minister for approval pursuant to Section 31 of the Act. encouraged Council to reach an agreement with DSE to minimise Section 55 referrals. Exhibition: 10 July to 13 August 2007 Submissions: 23 submissions were lodged (listed in Appendix A) of which: 18 objected to the Amendment; five from statutory/referral (the EPA, Western Coastal Board, VicRoads, City of Greater Geelong and the Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE)) did not object to the Amendment. DSE foreshadowed the desirability of establishing a Memorandum of Understanding relating to referrals. The Panel: Cathie McRobert (Chair) Gordon Anderson Panel Directions Hearing: 3 April 2009 at Torquay Hearings: Main Hearing: 4 and 5 May 2009 at Torquay SURF COAST PLANNING SCHEME – AMENDMENT C38 PANEL REPORT – MAY 2009 Page 2 Appearances: Surf Coast Shire represented by Mr Jorgen Peeters CCMA represented by Ms Angela Vary, Mr Lucan Orman and Mr Chris Harty. Mr Tony Jones, CCMA’s Floodplain Manager, provided advice on flooding at Lake Modewarre. Evidence called: - Ms Lisa Miller, Department of Primary Industries (DPI) ‐ Salinity Mapping - Mr Peter Dahlhaus, Dahlhaus Environmental Geology Pty Ltd ‐ Hydrology and Salinity Mr Vladimir Kondratiev Mr Brian and Mrs Faye Gibson Mr Peter Poteralski and Ms Maggie Juniper Mr Benjamin Reid Mr Tim Vernon (for Ms Linda Weatherton, Mr Paul Hemingway and Mr Vernon). Evidence called: - Professor Emeritus Robert E White – Hydrology and Salinity Site The Panel made unaccompanied inspections of relevant areas of Inspections: the properties identified by submitters who presented at the hearing. Date of 29 May 2009 Report: SURF COAST PLANNING SCHEME – AMENDMENT C38 PANEL REPORT – MAY 2009 Page 3 Contents OVERALL CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ..................................5 1. INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................9 1.1 Background to the Amendment ..............................................................................9 1.2 The Existing Planning Framework..........................................................................9 2. THE AMENDMENT..............................................................................................11 2.1 Post Exhibition Review and Changes Supported ...............................................12 3. ISSUES......................................................................................................................13 3.1 Is the Amendment Required? ................................................................................13 3.2 Does the Amendment Support Planning Policy? ...............................................15 3.2.1 Policy Support for Applying the SMO..........................................................15 3.2.2 Policy Support for the Proposed ESO1 .........................................................16 3.2.3 Conclusion – Consistency with Planning Policy...........................................17 3.3 Was the Salinity and Overlay Mapping Methodology Sound? ........................17 3.3.1 Salinity Mapping...........................................................................................17 3.3.2 Salinity Management Overlay Mapping........................................................20 3.3.3 Accuracy and Extent of Mapping..................................................................22 3.3.4 Other Salinity Areas ......................................................................................24 3.4 Specific Sites .............................................................................................................24 3.4.1 Torquay - The Sands .....................................................................................24 3.4.2 Winchelsea - Buhrmanns Road Area.............................................................30 3.4.3 Lake Modewarre............................................................................................33 3.4.4 25-65 Raglan Street, Modewarre...................................................................36 3.4.5 315 Gherang Road, Gherang .........................................................................37 3.4.6 275 Thielemanns Road, Gherang ..................................................................38 3.4.7 Other Properties.............................................................................................38 3.5 Permit Requirements and Referrals......................................................................41 3.5.1 Panel Discussion............................................................................................42 3.6 Impact on Property Value ......................................................................................47 Appendices APPENDIX A LIST OF SUBMITTERS...................................................................48 APPENDIX B REVISED OVERLAY BOUNDARIES SUPPORTED BY COUNCIL & CCMA ........................................................................49 List of Figures Figure 1 Typical Exhibited Salinity Management Overlay Map (29) ...................11 Figure 2 Mapped Salinity Areas - Surf Coast Shire...............................................19 SURF COAST PLANNING SCHEME – AMENDMENT C38 PANEL REPORT – MAY 2009 Page 4 Acronyms Used in Report CCMA Corangamite Catchment Management Authority DEM Digital Elevation Model DPCD Department of Planning and Community Development DSE Department of Sustainability and Environment DPI Department of Primary Industries LiDAR Light Detection and Ranging LPPF Local Planning Policy Framework MSS Municipal Strategic Statement SPPF State Planning Policy Framework The Act Planning and Environment Act 1987 Zones B1Z Business 1 Zone CDZ Comprehensive Development Zone FZ Farming Zone LDRZ Low Density Residential Zone PCRZ Public Conservation and Resource Zone R1Z Residential 1 Zone RCZ Rural Conservation Zone SUZ Special Use Zone TZ Township Zone Overlays DDO Design and Development Overlay ESO Environmental Significance Overlay FO Flood Overlay LSIO Land Subject to Inundation Overlay SMO Salinity Management Overlay SURF COAST PLANNING SCHEME – AMENDMENT C38 PANEL REPORT – MAY 2009 Page 5 Overall Conclusions and Recommendations Overall Conclusions We are satisfied that the application of the SMO in Surf Coast Shire supports planning policy and serves important functions which centre on: Identifying areas subject to saline groundwater discharge to ensure land owners and prospective purchasers are aware that salinity is or may become an issue. Preventing damage to buildings and infrastructure from saline discharge and shallow watertables by avoiding development of areas at risk and incorporating protective measures in the design of buildings and infrastructure. Encouraging management measures to be undertaken to reduce the spread of salinity. The methodology adopted to delineate SMO areas was sound and used the best available information, including revision of the extent of the exhibited overlay on two occasions when more accurate elevations data became available. Where submitters did not appear at the Panel hearing we were unable to explore their concerns further and we have accepted the recommended revisions to the SMO recommended by the Shire. However, the evidence presented and our site inspections supported submissions that there should be further consideration of the extent of the SMO at ‘The Sands’ development in Torquay and in the Buhrmanns Road area in Winchelsea. On the western side of Lake Modewarre our inspections confirmed submissions about the nature of the escarpment but, given the limited development potential and the need to manage issues such as erosion, we have endorsed a pragmatic approach of aligning both the SMO and ESO1 with the upper edge of the escarpment. There is also broad policy support for the protection of the environmental significance of wetlands and associated dryland habitats. Surf Coast planning scheme already recognises the significance and need to manage these areas through the application of ESO1 and we do not challenge the appropriateness of this overlay. The exception is ‘The Sands’ development in Torquay as it has a water management regime specifically designed to protect the recognised environmental values of the area and in our view the application of ESO1 to the residential lots would add a regulatory burden for both Council and landowners with little, if any, benefit to the environment. SURF