It's definite - February 20 2011!

The inaugural Festival of Glass in Drysdale now has a confirmed date: Sunday 20 February 2011, 10.00 - 5.00 at the Potato Shed in Drysdale. There will be a pre-Festival 'starter' event on Saturday 19 February, also at the Potato Shed.

Work on the Festival continues apace and the Festival Committee is starting to receive inquiries from people and organizations interested in participating. These have included a local winery, a glass artisan currently overseas who's coming home next year ... and a glass factory in China that hopes we can have a nice relationship!

Arranging the venue and inviting exhibitors are two major jobs for the organisers, but so is ensuring that as many people as possible know about the Festival well in advance. The Committee now has a comprehensive and sophisticated database of potential outlets for Festival news, marketing and advertising and is considering launching a dedicated website or blog. Watch this space for more.

Having attracted people to the venue, you need to keep them happy and safe to enjoy themselves, so the Committee is organizing permits, security, car parking, insurance, food and drink - oh, and some local music, too!

Finally, the Committee has started to invite commercial sponsorship and is discussing with various local clubs and societies how they can be involved. It's not quite 'bigger than Ben Hur' (well, not yet!), but the Committee is very keen to have as many people involved as possible. Could that include you? If you'd like to be involved in this unique community event, do please contact the Festival Committee c/o DCSCA at P. O. Box 581, Drysdale 3222; or dryclift@bigpond.com

Bellarine community associations meet City of Greater Geelong CEO

On June 18, representatives from community associations on the Bellarine Peninsula met Stephen Griffin, Chief Executive Officer of the City of Greater Geelong for the first time to discuss Bellarine-wide issues.

The meeting lasted an hour and covered four items.
1. Consultation policy
Stephen Griffin heard of the widespread feeling within communities that the City of Greater Geelong's public consultations appear to have no effect on subsequent policies. He agreed to a further meeting to hear detailed examples and to discuss a new consultation policy for the council that has been presented by ABCA.

2. Infrastructure on the Bellarine
ABCA has produced a comprehensive list of items needing attention and it was suggested that a designated CoGG 'officer for the Bellarine' could assist CoGG to respond to these sorts of Bellarine-wide isues. Stephen Griffin advised ABCA to submit its list and proposals to CoGG's draft Land Use Strategy when it is released for public consultation.

3. City of Greater Geelong's strategic priorities for the Bellarine
Stephen Griffin heard that people on the Bellarine Peninsula believe that CoGG sees the Bellarine as the 'poor cousin' to developing areas such as Armstrong Creek. Stephen Griffin said that CoGG would involve ABCA - as the peak community body on the Bellarine - in the mid-term review in 2011 of CoGG's Bellarine Strategic Plan.

4. Climate change
It was reported that Bellarine Bayside is about to undertake a study on climate change, yet the area it controls is only a small proportion of our total communities. ABCA called for CoGG, Surf Coast Shire and other relevant agencies to be involved in any such study.

The meeting was arranged by the Affiliation of Bellarine Community Associations (ABCA), of which Drysdale & Clifton Springs Community Association (DCSCA) is a member. Representatives of the Barwon Heads Association, DCSCA, Ocean Grove Community Association and Indented Head Community Association attended the meeting and other associations that were unable to be represented sent their apologies.

The meeting was positive and business-like. It bodes well for future relations between ABCA and CoGG.

Public Meeting June 2 2010 (2)

Recreation and Leisure in Our Community: what could make life better in Drysdale & Clifton Springs?'

This was the topic of DCSCA's latest Public Meeting, on Wednesday June 2 at 7.00 p.m. at SpringDale Neighbourhood Centre, High Street, Drysdale. The meeting heard from Bill Williams (Clifton Springs Community Men's Shed), Rob Evans (Youth Foundations Victoria) and from Aidan Keranen, of the youth project MISSION (Many Individuals Supporting Socially Important Options on the North Bellarine).

Their presentations revealed that these very different groups had some shared concerns. Two major common issues were the need for somewhere to 'hang out' and the ability to get there and return home. They sparked a lively discussion about the need for good public transport to support community facilities. The Men's Shed is examining the idea of a 'community bus' at SpringDale, bought by the City of Greater Geelong and/or the Lions and Rotary and supported by voluntary gold coin donations by passengers. Rob Evans and Aidan Keranen welcomed the idea, which is so obviously a good one that it's only surprising that there isn't such a service already. We'll be hearing more about this one!

The Clifton Springs Community Men's Shed heard recently that it has been granted $35,000 by the state government to develop its site and its services. This is terrific news and DCSCA is proud to have formally supported the application.

Unfortunately, Andrew McKinnon, Project Manager of Barwon River Parklands, was unable to be with us. DCSCA got in touch with Andrew via Parks Victoria and we would like to build stronger links with these organisations, because we are developing a policy on public open spaces in our region. As the work on this proceeds, there will be articles on this blog.

Public Meeting June 2 2010 (1)

'Recreation and Leisure in Our Community: what could make life better in Drysdale & Clifton Springs?'

This is the topic of DCSCA's next Public Meeting, on Wednesday June 2 at 7.00 p.m. at SpringDale Neighbourhood Centre, High Street, Drysdale; and this posting is a warm invitation to you to attend.

Is balancing leisure and life becoming a bit of a stretch?
We need to take time out from our busy lives and we know that staying active helps to keep us healthy. However, it's becoming harder to find open spaces for recreation, because urbanisation is replacing them. And while new housing developments often include parkland, this is often taken up with exercise equipment and barbecues. Adults and children certainly need more-or-less formal recreational facilities, such as sports fields, recreation/leisure centres and playgrounds; but we also need simple, open space in which to just ‘be’, rather than do anything active and specific. There is growing evidence that people’s well-being (especially children’s) is suffering because so much of the natural world is being ‘developed’ as urban spaces – including formal recreational facilities. Indeed, researchers have identified a condition known as ‘Nature Deficit Syndrome’ associated with lack of access to natural (non-urban) environments.

At the same time, recreation and leisure is now a major industry and it's becoming harder to find forms of recreation and leisure that don't involve spending money. If you have money to spare, this isn't a problem. But the less money you have, the harder it can be to have good times.

Our speakers
The meeting will feature some very different perspectives on recreation and leisure. We'll hear from Bill Williams and David Cornwell from the Clifton Springs Men's Shed; from Rob Evans and members of Youth Foundations Victoria; and we hope to have a speaker from Parks Victoria - we're just waiting for them to confirm.

The meeting will follow our usual format - three speakers, each given 10 minutes or so, then an open discussion, with a 'snap poll' on white boards for people to fill-in as they leave. DCSCA's public meetings this year have been lively, interesting events: about 100 people came to our first meeting (about shopping) and about 50 people to our last meeting (about transport). For each one, we've invited speakers who will introduce local people to perspectives on the topic that they may not have encountered before; and we hope that our meeting on June 2 will achieve the same success.

DCSCA at SpringDale Business Network Breakfast

On May 24, DCSCA Secretary Patrick Hughes was invited to address a breakfast meeting of the SpringDale Business Network. The Network fosters communication between businesses in the broad area of Drysdale & Clifton Springs, focused on quarterly breakfast meetings that are addressed by a diversity of speakers.

Today's meeting heard briefly about Wesfarmers' insurance services and about Youth Foundations Victoria; and at greater length about the City of Greater Geelong's Economic Development Unit. DCSCA's presentation came towards the end of the event and was accompanied by a handout, an expanded version of which follows.

SpringDale Business Network Breakfast. 24 May 2010

'The Drysdale & Clifton Springs Community Association: What can it offer local businesses?'

1. Context: DCSCA's aims for 2010-2011
To make DCSCA more visible to local people
• We have a quarterly newsletter (online and in print), plus single-issue mail-outs
• We've significantly increased coverage of DCSCA in the local papers
• We've launched a DCSCA 'blog' - drycliftdays.blogspot.com

To make DCSCA more representative of the local population
• We've initiated quarterly meetings with each local CoGG Councillor
• We hold quarterly Public Meetings aimed at broad, diverse audiences
• We've contacted each local school around teaching civics and citizenship
• We've initiated associations with local youth organisations.

To embed DCSCA more widely in the local community
• We're a member of the Affiliation of Bellarine Community Associations (ABCA)
• We supported a grant application by the Men's Shed
• We're supporting a grant application by local youth organisations
• We're organising the Festival of Glass in February 2011 ('art, craft and industry').

2. What's on offer? Advocacy, Advice and Action
• The Bellarine Strategic Plan 2006-2016
- we initiated a review via ABCA, linked with a review of infrastructure needs.
• Amendments C103 and C194 to the Greater Geelong Planning Scheme
- we made a written submission (see blog)
- we ran an information session about Planning Panels for people thinking of appearing before one
- we appeared before a state government Planning Panel (reports on blog).
• The 'Springs Street Community Plan'
- we made a written submission re C194 in collaboration with local residents (see blog)
- we assisted local residents to make written submissions and to appear before the Planning Panel
- we're advising local residents on conducting a survey & writing a report.
• The 'Special Charge' for the Central Road area
- we made a written submission in collaboration with local residents (see blog)
- we will appear before a CoGG Submissions Panel.
• The City of Greater Geelong's Consultation Policy
- we proposed initiating broad benchmarks and measures (see blog)
- no response, so we wrote a draft detailed policy.

3. The focus: CoGG's economic and employment (non-)strategy
• Our towns are becoming dormitories for Geelong and Melbourne
• CoGG's Bellarine Strategic Plan and Structure Plan for Drysdale & Clifton Springs: more shops, another supermarket and a motel - and that's all!
• No high-wage, high-tech jobs (e.g. post-carbon technologies) to retain youth and wealth in the area
• Inadequate public transport makes increasing numbers of people drive to work, clogging the roads and increasing emissions of greenhouse gases
• There is clearly a need and a role for some form of business association in our towns - DCSCA would be glad to support and assist such an association however it can.

Planning Panel Day 3

The Planning Panel's third and final day of public hearings concerned Amendment C103 almost exclusively. This Amendment re-zones land between Murradoc Road and Woodville Street, Drysdale from its current mix of 'Farming' and 'Rural Living' to 'Residential 1'. Melbourne-based Urban Land Developments owns around 60% of the land and has requested the re-zoning so that it can build a 300-house estate there.

The City of Greater Geelong's Mr. Peter Schembri had introduced Amendment C103 at the end of Day 2. However, Day 3 started with a presentation about Amendment C194 by Mr. Gary Laver, which had been postponed from Day 2. Mr. Laver appeared on behalf of several landowners who live south of Andersons Road, who want CoGG to re-zone their land from 'Farming' to 'Rural Living' and who oppose CoGG's proposal to set aside the whole area for 'Future Urban Consolidation'. (CoGG has recently withdrawn this proposal.) CoGG has said repeatedly that such re-zoning is against policy; Mr. Laver cited several instances of such re-zoning elsewhere, within CoGG's Bellarine Peninsula Strategic Plan.

At this point, CoGG's Mr. Peter Smith stated that the Bellarine Peninsula Strategic Plan is 'a community plan, not a statement of council policy'. This is in clear contrast with the Plan's alleged intent:
'The Bellarine Peninsula Strategic Plan 2006 - 2016 (The Plan) reflects a commitment by the City of Greater Geelong to understand and plan for current and future change on the Bellarine Peninsula.' ('Executive Summary', p. 8)
'The Bellarine Peninsula Strategic Plan will inform future City of Greater Geelong planning policy on the Bellarine Peninsula ...' ('Policy Framework', p. 11)

The second presentation was by Mr. Nick Tweedy, a barrister acting for Urban Land Developments. He argued that C103 was self-evidently appropriate and justified, because it implemented a recommendation of CoGG's Structure Plan for Drysdale & Clifton Springs; and he called 'expert witnesses' to argue that Amendment C103 won't create an excessive supply of land for housing; that the proposed developers' contributions to the estate's associated roads, drains, etc. are appropriate; that the estate won't interfere with the movement of stormwater through and away from the land; and that the estate won't increase local traffic significantly.

The third presentation was by Mr. Patrick Hughes on behalf of the Drysdale & Clifton Springs Community Association (DCSCA). The Association neither supports nor opposes the proposals in C103 as such, but it is critical of the process by which CoGG invited public comment on C103 and on C194. (See DCSCA's submission on this blog in the article titled, 'Re-zoning Drysdale [3]'.) In addition, the Association is concerned that Amendment C103 will create a 300-lot housing estate, but no jobs for the people who will live there. This isn't the developers' fault; it shows CoGG's lack of vision or concern about our towns' economic development. CoGG's failure is turning our towns into dormitories for Geelong and Melbourne; and the lack of adequate public transport means that increasing numbers of people are driving cars to work, increasing the pressure on our already crowded roads and, of course, increasing the emision of harmful 'greenhouse' gases.

The final presentation was by Urbis Consultants on behalf of Aldi. Currently, Amendment C103 includes provisions for access by pedestrians and cyclists from the housing estate into the service area of the proposed Aldi supermarket at the west end of Murradoc Road; and Aldi wants this provision removed.

Towards the end of the day, there were concluding remarks by Mr. Tweedie (for ULD), Mr. Smith and Mr. Schembri (for CoGG), but these added little to the presentations.

The Planning Panel will now write a report to CoGG that will recommend how to proceeed with each Amendment - C103 and C194. The report is due in eight weeks (i.e. in the week beginning 12 July) and four weeks later (i.e. in the week beginning 9 August), CoGG must publish the Panel's report and decide whether to accept some or all of its recommendations (it is under no compulsion to accept any of them). Following CoGG's decision, the matters in C103 and C194 will go to state Planning and Community Development Minister Justin Madden for a final decision.

(Image: Linda Gallus.)

Planning Panel Day 2

Today, May 13, is the second of three days of Public Hearings by a Planning Panel appointed by State Planning Minister Justin Madden to review proposals by the City of Greater Geelong (CoGG) to rezone parts of Drysdale & Clifton Springs.

(For a report on Day 1, see 'Planning Panel Day 1' on this blog; for the background to the Planning Panel, see other articles on this blog under the titles 'Rezoning Drysdale & Clifton Springs'.)

Today's Hearing started at 10.00 a.m. and, for much of the day, the Panel considered Amendment C194. The first presentation was by Mr. Patrick Hughes on behalf of the Drysdale & Clifton Springs Community Association (DCSCA). The Association neither supports nor opposes the proposals in C194 as such, but it has detailed criticisms of the process by which CoGG invited public comment on them. (See DCSCA's submission on this blog in the article titled, 'Re-zoning Drysdale (3)'.)

The second presentation was by Mr. Ian Cook, who asked the Panel to make two recommendations to CoGG: retain the public open space in the Springs Street area of Clifton Springs, with some low-level recreational facilities; and require property developers to make their developments 'water neutral' by including infrastructure to recycle storm water. Next came Mr. Ian McGuiness, who described the Community Plan being developed by local people for the Springs Street open space, emphasizing that the Plan will be based on local people's views, unlike CoGG's proposals for the area.

In different ways, three presentations by residents of the Drakes Road area of Drysdale - Mr. David Burke, Mr. Ron Vernieux and Mr. Ric Gower & Mrs. Sue Gower - argued that CoGG's proposal to re-zone their properties from Rural Living to Future Urban Consolidation disregards the significant environmental values embedded in their properties and contradicts several recommendations in the Drysdale & Clifton Springs Structure Plan. Ms. Renate Kint emphasized the environmental richness of the Drakes Road area as she asked the Panel to recommend that CoGG re-zones her nearby olive farm from Farming to Low Density Residential. CoGG's Mr. Peter Smith responded to these presentations by saying that that it's possible that CoGG should re-examine the properties in the Drakes Road area before deciding to re-zone them.

Other presentations addressed different proposals in C194. Mr. Gerhart Herzer asked the Panel to recommend that CoGG allow him to subdivide his land in south Drysdale; Mr. Ray Gamble (via Ms. Sarah Wright) supported the proposal to zone his land as Future Urban Consolidation; Mr. Eddie Hoyer asked the Panel to recommend that CoGG withdraws its proposal to extend the Business 4 zone in Murradoc Road further to the east; and Ms. Joanne Preece, of TGM (representing Lascorp Development Group p/l), asked the panel to recommend that CoGG remove the phrase 'small to medium' from its description (in the Structure Plan) of the type of supermarket that could be built on the site of the Drysdale Bowling Club. CoGG has agreed to this proposal.

At 3.30 p.m., the Panel switched its focus to Amendment C103, when it heard Mr. Peter Schembri, of CoGG's Strategic Implementation Unit, present the council's case for the Amendment. If adopted, Amendment C103 would agree to a request by Melbourne-based property company ULD that its land south of Murradoc Road should be re-zoned from Farming to Residential 1, allowing ULD to build a 300-lot housing estate there. CoGG supports ULD's proposal, because it believes that it is consistent with the Structure Plan's recommendation that the land should become a housing estate. Council officers have worked with ULD to prepare the Amendment - specifically, the 'Section 137 Agreement' that sets out how much ULD should contribute to the development's infrastructure and to community facilities.

Tomorrow - the final day of Public Hearings - will start with a short return to C194 as Mr. Gary Laver presents his views about the Amendment. For the rest of the day, the Panel will hear presentations concerning C103 by ULD (which will call several 'expert witnesses'), by Aldi and by the Drysdale & Clifton Springs Community Association.

(Image by L. Gallus.)