Don't fence me in!

DCSCA’s next Public Meeting is on Wednesday 1 December at 7.00 p.m. Its topic is the continuing loss of open spaces in our towns as more and more land is built on; and DCSCA will launch a proposal for an Open Spaces Network.
The meeting will feature speakers from:

• Bellarine Catchment Network
• Bellarine Landcare
• City of Greater Geelong
• Department of Sustainability & Environment.

Drysdale & Clifton Springs residents are discovering that their towns' open spaces and paddocks are disappearing in favour of housing estates and shops. Planning controls can ensure that new developments include open spaces, but a manufactured park within a housing estate or next to a shopping centre is rarely in a prime location with good views and beautiful surroundings. Such locations are very attractive to developers and, as each one is built on, the community loses another open space.

To strike a balance between no development at all and development that’s in the community's interest, DCSCA wants to create an Open Spaces Network, connected by walking and/or cycling tracks. Why a network of open spaces? Simply because it's more effective and efficient to argue for a network than to argue for each site individually. Each site in the proposed Open Spaces Network would be kept as simple as possible, highlighting its natural characteristics and featuring appropriate local indigenous plants; and each will have its own 'Friends of ...' group to assist in its upkeep.

The meeting is on 1 December at 7.00 p.m. at Springdale Neighbourhood Centre in Drysdale High Street. We invite everyone to listen to the speakers and then HAVE YOUR SAY about our threatened open spaces ... and consider joining one of the 'Friends of ...' groups.