Landowners to pay for developer's drains?

The City of Greater Geelong has agreed with Melbourne-based Pinnacle Living to share the estimated $1,492,827 cost of a new main drain for a retirement village in Clifton Springs and expects local landowners to pay most of it.

Around thirty local residents met on Wednesday 31 March and stated unanimously that they believed that Pinnacle Living should pay the cost of the drain, as only they would benefit financially from it. The proposed retirement village is in Central Road, Clifton Springs and the new drain will serve an area bounded by Jetty Road, Ada Street, Thomas Street and Central Road in Clifton Springs and Drysdale. Owners of the 39 blocks to be served by the drain face bills depending on their block size, with most of them facing bills of between $3,000 and $256,888.

CoGG estimates that the project will cost $1,492,827, but states that the true cost will be unknown until work is completed. At its meeting on 23 February 2010, the Council resolved to declare a 'Special Charge' on local landowners to cover the cost, to invite their comments on this proposal and to decide the matter at its meeting on 8 June 2010 (or at a subsequent meeting).

Money down whose drains?
Pinnacle Living have applied to the Council for permission to build a retirement village on their property at 101 Central Road, but have been told that this would require a new main drain to be built. Subsequently, the Council has rezoned some of the properties in the surrounding area to 'R1' (high density residential) and says that the remainder are 'in the process of being rezoned' to R1. This rezoning - together with the new drain - will enable land owners in the area to subdivide their land and sell it if they wish. Without the drain, subdivision can't occur, even if the land has been rezoned.

The Council's justification for levying a 'Special Charge' is that each landowner in the area served by the drain could profit from selling their land. However, the Council has provided no evidence that the sale of any of the blocks of land will even cover the proposed 'Special Charge', let alone create a profit and anyway, many landowners have stated that they have no wish to sell-off part or all of their land. Further, many local residents facing a 'Special Charge' of tens of thousands of dollars will simply be unable to pay it and are nervously awaiting the consequences.

Are ratepayers furthering developers' interests?
The Council report proposing this 'Special Charge' makes it clear that it is the result of extensive discussions between the Council and Pinnacle Holdings which have resulted in a legal agreement between them to divide the cost. Pinnacle Holdings will pay approximately 23% of the cost, the Council will pay the remaining 77% and will then attempt to recover that money from local landowners.

These extensive discussions have involved ratepayer-funded CoGG resources (officers’ time and expertise) being made available to Pinnacle to further its interests. In contrast, local people are left to deal with the outcome - the 'Special Charge' - and with the daunting bureaucracy of the Council by and for themselves, with no ratepayer-funded resources at their disposal.

The Council's relationship with Pinnacle in this matter is very similar to its relationship with another Melbourne-based property developer with interests in Drysdale & Clifton Springs - Urban Land Development (ULD). The Geelong Independent reported recently (26 March 2010) that ULD had had 'a substantial amount of dialogue' with Council officers about the wording of a proposed Planning Amendment that would rezone ULD land near Drysdale's Murradoc Road. ULD Director Ross Closter told the Independent, 'Council worked with us to make sure we addressed any problems. It was important we understood the requirements, so we've been consulting with the council on all the key issues.' The significance here is that Council resources were made available to ULD, but no equivalent resources were made available to local people who either support or object to the proposed Planning Amendment. Further, the fact that Council resources have gone into ULD's application casts doubt on the Council's ability to take an objective and unbiased decision on that Amendment.

What next?
Property owners in the Central Road area who will be subject to the proposed 'Special Charge' have until 5 pm on Monday 26 April 2010 to support or object to it in writing to the City of Greater Geelong, Engineering Design Unit, PO Box 104, Geelong, Vic 3220.

People who will not be affected directly, but who wish to support local landowners who are objecting to the proposal should write to their local Councillor and send a copy to CoGG's Engineering design unit at the above address.

Festival news - March 2010

The 2011 Drysdale Festival of Glass organising group held its second meeting on March 30 at Drysdale's SpringDale Neighbourhood Centre. The general idea of the Festival is now clear in people's minds, so the main business of the meeting was practicalities.

Some possible locations have been listed and contacts initiated. Some members of the group are investigating the availability of such things as stages, tables, trestles, bunting, and a P.A. system; others are investigating sources of funds, including commissions, grants and sponsorships; while still others are organising the formal launch, together with services associated with the Festival such as entertainment, refreshments, car parking, etc.

A crucial decision, of course, is when to hold the Festival! At this stage, a Saturday in mid to late February 2011 is the preferred option, but the group is going to list other events scheduled for February to try to avoid clashes. Assuming that the Festival will happen some time in February 2011, the group have started to list possible participants - including glass artisans, artists, companies, wholesalers - with a view to inviting them formally once the date and venue/s are decided.

It was a busy meeting, in which a lot of jobs were allocated! There is, however, plenty to do, so if you would like to join the group or offer your help in some way, do please get in touch.

The group's next meeting will be on Tuesday 13 April at 7.00 p.m. at SpringDale Neighbourhood Centre, Drysdale High Street. Not everyone can come to these sorts of meetings because, e.g., they have to care for family members. If this is the case for you, but you would like to be involved in the Festival, drop us a line and we'll make something happen.

CONTACT: Drysdale Festival of Glass, c/o Drysdale & Clifton Springs Community Association
Mail: P.O. Box 581, Drysdale 3222
E-mail: dryclift@ bigpond.com

Rezoning Drysdale & Clifton Springs (4)

At its meeting on March 23, the City of Greater Geelong voted to refer two proposals to rezone various parts of Drysdale & Clifton Springs to a Planning Panel to be appointed by State Planning Minister Justin Madden.


These proposals are in the form of two Amendments - C103 and C194 - to the Greater Geelong Planning Scheme. Between them, the two Amendments generated over fifty submissions to the Council, opposing the rezoning proposals overwhelmingly.

The two Amendments include a proposal to build a housing estate on one of the few remaining stretches of public open space in the Springs Street area of Clifton Springs. DCSCA members and friends have convinced the City of Greater Geelong to abandon the proposal. DCSCA officers helped local residents to challenge the proposal and over 180 local people signed a petition opposing it. As a result, the Council withdrew the proposal before even discussing it! Good news indeed and a great result for local people.

However, residents and property owners in other areas will face significant increases in their rates if the Planning Panels recommend that the Council adopts the rest of Amendments C103 and C194:

• Residents of the area bounded by Drysdale's High, Eversley and Princess Streets are opposing Council plans (in Amendment C194) to rezone their area from 'Residential' to 'Business', causing a significant rise in rates bills. Many residents have lived there for decades and they believe that this proposal threatens their future.
• Residents of the area near Drysdale's Potato Shed are opposing Council plans (in Amendment C194) to develop the area as a recreational 'hub', fearing increases in traffic volume and speed.
• Residents adjacent to the area behind the shops and workshops on the southern side of Drysdale's Murradoc Road are opposing Council plans (in Amendment C103) to rezone the area from 'Farming' and 'Low Density Residential' to 'Residential 1' (i.e. high density housing), causing a significant rise in rates bills

DCSCA made a formal submission concerning each Amendment (see 'Rezoning Drysdale 3' on this blog). DCSCA's full analysis of the submissions will be posted on this blog shortly.

Where do they get these ideas from?
Amendment C103 generated 19 submissions , only one of which supported it. This submission came from Melbourne-based Urban Land Development p/l (ULD), which has bought land on the southern side of Drysdale's Murradoc Road.

ULD wants to build a housing estate on their Murradoc Road property and asked CoGG for the land to be rezoned. However, ULD did more than just ask. It collaborated with Council officers to write part of Amendment C103! The part in question is the 'Development Plan Overlay', which specifies how a particular parcel of land should be developed. In its submission to the Council regarding Amendment C103, ULD says:

'ULD and Council have had a substantial amount of dialogue regarding the wording of the DPO (Development Plan Overlay). As a result, ULD is broadly satisfied with the DPO and again congratulate Council on striking the right balance between providing certainty as to what the Development Plan should contain without being to (sic) prescriptive.'

The next step: a Planning Panel
Due to the opposition to Amendments C103 and C194, the Council has referred each one to a Planning Panel to be appointed by State Planning Minister Justin Madden. Anyone who made a submission concerning one or both of these Amendments should have received a formal letter from the Council advising them of this.

Would you like information or advice about Planning Panels? Would you like assistance to present your arguments to the Panel? If so, please contact DCSCA:
By mail: P.O. Box 581, Drysdale, Vic. 3222
By E-mail: dryclift@bigpond.com

Calling all glass enthusiasts!

A lot of 'behind the scenes' work on the Drysdale Festival of Glass is continuing and it's time now to invite anyone and everyone who would like to help make the Festival a success to get involved!

There is a wide range of ways you can become involved.

• Perhaps you'd like to be part of the organising group - for example, running the finances, organising publicity, arranging for stalls, organising an exhibition or running a competition.
• Or maybe you'd like to just participate in the Festival on the day itself. For example, would you like to run a stall, judge a competition, give lessons or presenting a display?

There are all sorts of jobs involved in organising a Festival like this, so if you'd like to get involved but you're not sure what you'd like to do, or what you'd be good at, don't worry - you'll find a place!

DCSCA invites anyone interested - in any way - in the Drysdale Festival of Glass to come to a meeting to set-up a group to organise the Festival:

TUESDAY 16 MARCH 7.00 p.m.
SPRINGDALE NEIGHBOURHOOD CENTRE
DRYSDALE HIGH STREET

We understand that this time won't be convenient for everyone, so if you can't come to the meeting, but want to be involved, do please contact us:
By mail: P.O. Box 581, Drysdale 3222
By e-mail: dryclift@bigpond.com

We look forward to seeing you on the night or to hearing from you; and do please tell your friends and neighbours about the Festival and about the meeting on 16 March.

Public Meeting 3 March 2010

'Traffic and transport in our community: what would a bypass mean for Drysdale & Clifton Springs?'
This was the topic of DCSCA's latest Public Meeting, which was at 7.00 p.m. on March 3 at Springdale Neighbourhood Centre, Drysdale High Street.

Over forty local residents and business people attended the meeting. They heard that a bypass around the town is unlikely in the near future. Mr. Robert Scott, Planning Team Leader at Vic Roads told the meeting that while the proposed bypass was a good idea, the likely cost - $50 - 70 million - and the relatively low current traffic flow meant that Vic Roads didn't regard it as a priority. Nonetheless, Vic Roads has spent $4 - 5 million buying land to create a 'corridor' along the route of the bypass and will acquire more land as it becomes available. Vic Roads can't buy more land until it becomes available, which is why the bypass is taking so long to be established.

The meeting then heard Mr. Paul Westcott, Convenor of the Geelong branch of the Public Transport Users Association. He said that in Victoria, a major impediment to the development of public transport is that there is no unitary body in charge of public transport, equivalent to Vic Roads, which develops and runs roads. As a result, no 'corridors' are being set aside for public transport development equivalent to, for example, the 'corridor' being created by Vic Roads for a Drysdale bypass.

The final speaker was Mr. Phil Baulch, of the Geelong Sustainability Group. He forecast steep rises in oil prices as reserves become unprofitable to mine. Cars will be increasingly expensive to run and rising transportation costs will increase prices across the board. Mr. Baulch said that many local communities are responding to these circumstances by becoming 'transition towns', living in new ways that lower their energy costs and their carbon emissions. There are two 'transition towns' nearby. One is Transition South Barwon, the other is Transition Neighbourhood Bell, which represents the residents of Bell Park and Bell Post Hill - two of the most diverse and multicultural suburbs in the Geelong region.

People at the meeting were interested in the speakers' three very different perspectives on traffic and transport in our community. In a snap poll after the meeting, a clear majority of those voting wanted a bypass, but there was also strong support for better public transport.

(DCSCA invited Mr. David Hannah, Manager of the City of Greater Geelong's Engineering Services division, to speak at the meeting, but he had a prior commitment. He said that he would be happy to discuss with DCSCA any issues that emerged at the meeting.)

For more about Vic Roads:
www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/Home/

For more about the Geelong branch of the Public Transport Users Association:
www.ptua.org.au/geelong-branch/

For more about the Geelong Sustainability Group:
www.geelongsustainability.org.au

For more about Transition Neighbourhood Bell:
http://transitionbell.collectivex.com/main/summary

Lake Lorne pathway

On 4 February, DCSCA Committee members attended a briefing about the proposed pathway around Lake Lorne, convened by Bruce Humphries, of the Environmental Planning Department of the City of Greater Geelong (CoGG). The briefing took place at the Drysdale railway station and was attended by people from a wide variety of organizations, including the Bellarine Peninsula Railway, Vic Track (owners of the railway line), the local Pony Club, local schools and the Geelong Field Naturalists Society.

The pathway was suggested initially by DCSCA some time ago and it has taken quite a while to get to the stage of having a draft plan. However, this is public (Crown) land in which a wide variety of people have an interest, so getting to this stage was always likely to be a lengthy and complicated process. Also, as you'll see below, CoGG is proposing not just to install a pathway, but also to improve and upgrade aspects of the site overall.

CURRENT PROPOSALS
The focus of the briefing was a draft plan, commissioned by CoGG from Thompson-Birrell, a firm of landscape architects. Thompson-Birrell has done other work for CoGG, including the Griggs Creek Rehabilitation Plan. Thompson-Birrell's Matt Bolton presented the draft plan and answered questions about it. In broad terms, the present proposals are:

• to create a low-key, low-impact gravel path around the lake at the high-water mark of 2001
• to create a parkland environment between the path and the boundary of the land
• to retain thick grass between the path and the lake's edge, to deter dogs from attacking the waterfowl
• to replace some of the non-native vegetation with local native plants
• to upgrade aspects of the railway station's physical infrastructure
• to ensure stakeholder support at each subsequent stage of the planning process.

There was significant concern about the present and future threat by dogs to waterfowl on the Lake, especially as some of these birds are rare or endangered species. DCSCA shares those concerns. DCSCA has also suggested that future drafts should highlight and celebrate the area's Indigenous heritage as a site used by the Wathaurong people.

WHAT NEXT?
The next stage is for Thompson-Birrell to produce a revised draft plan, drawing on comments at this briefing and at a 'walk and talk' around the Lake by various stakeholders that will happen in the next few weeks. CoGG will invite a broader range of stakeholders (including people living near the Lake) to comment on the revised plan; then a final plan, together with a budget to implement it, will be presented to a formal meeting of the Council, probably in mid-2010.

YOUR VIEW?
If you'd like to have your say about the Lake Lorne pathway project, you can do one or more of the following:

• contact your local CoGG Councillor (John Doull or Rod Macdonald)
• leave a comment below
• contact DCSCA direct: dryclift@bigpond.com

We'll post another report on this project after the 'walk and talk' around the Lake. In the meantime ...
for more about the Bellarine Peninsula Railway:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bellarine_Peninsula_Railway

and for more more about the Wathaurong people:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wathaurong

DCSCA meets Cllr. Rod Macdonald

On 5 February, DCSCA committee members met Councillor Rod Macdonald at Geelong City Hall. This was the first of a series of quarterly meetings that DCSCA has initiated with the two Councillors whose wards coincide with DCSCA's area - the other is Councillor John Doull, whom we met on 18 January. (See ' DCSCA meets Cllr. John Doull', Tuesday, January 19, 2010 on this blog.)

This was a positive and productive meeting. First, we told Cllr. Macdonald of people's dissatisfaction with the Council's public communication and consultation processes around, for example, the Drysdale & Clifton Springs Structure Plan, the Council's proposals to revamp Drysdale town centre and Amendments C194 and C103 to the Greater Geelong Planning Scheme that the Council is proposing currently; and we said that these concerns were shared by other community associations on the Bellarine. Cllr. Macdonald ('RM') responded as follows:
• CoGG communication and consultation processes. RM will send DCSCA a copy of CoGG's policy.
• The D/CS Structure Plan. RM described this as 'informal' consultation - 'a way to put a position that can then be debated'. Thus, not every ensuing proposal will reflect it exactly; and not every view received will be reflected in it.
• The Drysdale town centre proposals. RM will talk to Mr. Paul Jamieson (CoGG's Manger, Community Development) about DCSCA's letter to him, the proposals it contains and the lack of a reply.
• Amendments C194 and C103. RM said that he has asked Council officers to examine particular aspects, including the flood risk in Springs Street.

Next, we discussed arrangements for local participation in Clean Up Australia Day and Cllr. Macdonald advised us who to contact regarding signage for the day.

Finally, we brought Cllr. Macdonald up to date with preparations for the Drysadale Festival of Glass and he suggested some people within CoGG who might be able to help and advise us.

Our next quarterly meeting with Cllr. Macdonald: 7 May at 10.00 a.m. at City Hall. Among the agenda items will be DCSCA's proposals about improving the Council's communication and consultation policies. We have sent these to Cllrs. Doull and Macdonald, as well as to all the community associations represented in the Affiliation of Belarine Community Associations (ABCA).
Would you like us to discuss any issues with Cllr. Macdonald at that meeting? If so, please leave a comment below or e-mail DCSCA: dryclift@bigpond.com