Wetlands, Boundary,
Barwon Heads,
SAVED
… for the next ten years
The planning process that commenced in August 2016 has finally come to a successful close as Amendment C375 was approved and gazetted on Monday with the boundary remaining in its current location.
Three long years of fundraising, finagling bureaucracy and fighting developers has resulted in a win for the environment. Many people doubted this could be done, but for the third time this community of Barwon Heads has shown that when it comes together to fight for a just cause, we can beat the vested interests.
This is a massive win and one you can be proud of, as without the support of the towns folk this would not have been possible. The weight of argument and community support, and hence Council, was with us and it won the day.
We thank each and every one of you for your support
We can breathe easy and enjoy the space around Barwon Heads, the environment that brings us fresh clean air, sequesters carbon in the soils, plants and wetlands, that cleans the water in our river, provides habitat for a wealth of insects, birds and animals and provides us with the places we love to recreate in and the vistas that bring us joy and make this place home.
The SBHA Committee will keep fighting to retain these values and we thank you for your ongoing support.
Bellarine Distinctive Area and Landscape Process
But as we explained in our last email, one process finishes and another starts. The Bellarine Distinctive Area and Landscape planning process is the promise of the Andrews’ Government to protect the Bellarine from over development. We expect that the Barwon Heads Structure Plan will be picked up as a completed element of this process and that the boundary will be retained throughout this process and become part of the vision for the next 50 years. However, this too will be enshrined through an amendment which will require representation at panel. Plus, a ten year review process is locked in. And so the fight will continue.
The only way to truly protect the Wetlands, the Boundary and Barwon Heads is to have the lands adjacent to the Ramsar Site in community ownership.
Please stay engaged in the process through reading these emails or directly through the Vic Govt website here:
https://engage.vic.gov.au/distinctive-areas-and-landscapes-program/bellarine-peninsula
