Dust still not settled on charge scheme support

By Nick Sinis

STRONG opposition continues to mount against a potential special charge scheme at Surf Beach and Sunderland Bay estates.

A group of concerned residents have formed in an effort to have the project completely abandoned by the shire.
The scheme allows council to pass on the cost of constructing sealed roads, kerb and channel, footpaths, underground drainage and other capital infrastructure to the owners of properties.

Council had estimated earlier this year the project could cost between $22.8 to $30.4m, based on previous projects.

Following the first round of feedback and a council vote to proceed with the next stage of the project, consultation for concept plans was undertaken during May and June. 

The shire has been developing several options of concept plans for a preferred option to be selected. 

“There is likely to be a minimal cost option, then several other options with additional features included with indicative cost ranges,” the shire stated.

“The questionnaire responses will also be reviewed street by street to develop concept plan options and locate any additional features such as landscaping and traffic calming.”

During October to November, the shire will present concept plans options, which will include indicative cost ranges.

It is important to note that construction is not yet approved or considered, with several more legislative processes required to be taken through before works can occur. 

According to the shire, it can take three to four years of planning, design and approvals before construction commences.

Residents’ concern 

The Sentinel-Times was contacted by a representative from a group of ratepayers and homeowners who are opposed to the project, called ‘Say No to Sunderland Bay and Surf Beach Special Charges Scheme’. 

The representative highlighted the initial surveys gave no opportunity for those involved to outright state they didn’t want the scheme to be implemented.

They stated out of the 1033 homeowners across the estates, they are hoping to establish how many are in favour or against the scheme.

Some of the issues they highlighted included a range of aspects such as personal costs and the impact on the natural environment of the area. 

“The cost – we already pay thousands of dollars in rates each year, particularly since council has revalued homes in these areas and question why should we be paying a further tax when the roads are council’s responsibility,” the group stated. 

“The reason why people have purchased in these areas is because it is virtually the last natural and untouched area on the Island – they didn’t want to be in a suburban environment.

“Residents don’t want the area to look like a suburb e.g. Cape Woolamai – they don’t want footpaths, more street lights, kerbs and more concrete.

“Many ratepayers have complained about the dust factor – the majority have said they would be happy to contribute to the original primer sealer which most roads had for well over 10 years.”

The representative further highlighted they believed the shire was not listening to their concerns and there was a lack of face-to-face opportunities. 

The Sentinel-Times contacted Cr Bruce Kent, who used to live at Surf Beach, asking what feedback he had been receiving from residents.

Cr Kent said for a period of almost three years, he had received a ‘significant’ number of emails favourably asking when a scheme would be going ahead.

“To be fair with that, I suppose if there’s no talk of the scheme, you’re not going to get people objecting to something that didn’t exist at the time,” he conceded.

“As soon as it has gone into motion, yes, the other side of the coin has come into play.

“Those objections range from we don’t want it at all, to we only want the main roads to go in, such as The Esplanade.”

Cr Kent highlighted that during his time in council, other charge schemes had also been underway such as Pioneer Bay.

“I’ve also witnessed the outcome for Cape Woolamai too,” he said.

“I think if people spoke to residents at Cape Woolamai and Pioneer Bay, they would realise the pros and cons.

“It’s a fantastic situation to get rid of the dust, we can put speed controls in and it’s win-win for people.

“But the downside is nobody wants to pay for these things.”

The shire has so far only provided estimated costs in comparison to the scheme recently completed at Pioneer Bay.

The total scheme cost was $4.6m with 230 residents paying for 92 per cent of the costs, which equated to an average amount of $18.4k per property. 

Individual costs for each property are proportioned based on frontage to the road and property size.

Council has also engaged consultants to undertake feature survey, geotechnical and pavement design, flora and fauna studies, a cultural heritage due diligence assessment, street concept plan development and functional drainage designs for the Surf Beach / Sunderland Bay areas as part of concept plan development works. 

For more information, visit engage.basscoast.vic.gov.au/surfbeachroads