Community concern impacts final rural tourism strategy

WHILE councillors were largely in favour of adopting the final Bass Coast Unlocking Rural Tourism (BURT) strategy, a number of significant issues were raised during consultation.

The project’s purpose is to undertake a land use study for Bass Coast Shire’s rural tourism precincts, with a scope to investigate the reasons for what has been considered limited tourism investment in the rural areas of the shire.

Council and the Victorian Planning Authority (VPA) engaged Urban Enterprise to undertake a tourism land use study. 

The strategy was prepared in early 2022, and involved assessing the current policy environment, reviewing existing gaps in appropriately considering tourism activity in the shire and proposing a future vision for rural tourism.

Some key recommendations in the draft strategy included reverting all land in the Rural Activity Zone to Farming Zone and replacing the ‘Rural Tourism Precincts’ currently applied across the Bass

Coast Planning Scheme (Scheme), with the following sub-regions: 

• Phillip Island and San Remo 

• Bass Hinterland 

• Waterline and Bass River Precinct 

• Bunurong Coastline

There were 46 submissions received with feedback including:

• Keep the Rural Activity Zones as they are recognised appropriate locations for tourism

• Ensure that key tourism assets on Phillip Island receive ongoing support and capacity to continue operating effectively  

• Ensure aboriginal heritage and indigenous values are recognised, protected and enhanced

• Concern over economic focus of the strategy  

• Tourist operators desiring better signage opportunities

• Concern about rates and property rises

In regards to rates and property rises due to increased tourist activity, the strategy’s key findings stated that, ‘Although BURT can not categorically say that changes in tourism activity will not increase rates, fees and property prices, the assessment of cost changes, is an economic decision based on an assessment of factors that goes well beyond that which can be considered by BURT. The shire’s revenue department are able to provide wider advice with regard to rates assessments and fee changes.’

There was also a number of submissions concerned about the recommendation to re-zone all land within the Rural Activity Zone (RAZ) to Farming Zone (FZ).

“Concern was based around the notion that removing the entire zoning, simply to facilitate potential future tourism outcomes, is not appropriate nor an orderly and proper way to plan for development in regional areas,” the strategy states.

The final strategy proposes to remove the recommendation to replace the RAZ in favour of the FZ, and replace the recommendations with:

• Investigate the potential to rezone land in the RAZ to FZ in situations where tourism and other activities directly related to the intended use of the RAZ have not been, nor appear likely to occur.

Further, to investigate areas in the FZ where there is potential to rezone the land to RAZ. These investigations can occur as part of preparing a future comprehensive Rural Strategy. 

• Undertake discussions with DELWP to determine an appropriate mechanism to establish permissible accommodation land uses when associated with an appropriately located and scaled tourism use 

• Undertake discussions with DELWP to determine if it is appropriate for the ‘minimum subdivision area’ to be retained between 40 and 260 hectares.