Future of Cape Paterson could be decided in coming months

PUBLIC hearings are set to get underway in early March as part of the Bass Coast Distinctive Areas and Landscapes (DAL) referral. 

Following a significant number of submissions to the DAL’s draft Statement of Planning Policy, they were referred to a Standing Advisory Committee to provide advice on whether the ‘draft creates an appropriate framework for the future use and development of land in the Bass Coast declared area to ensure the protection and conservation of the distinctive attributes of that declared area’, among other aspects. 

Last week, members of the committee took a tour around the shire to view key sites including Cape Paterson.

Following the release of the draft, Cape Paterson residents were concerned that there was no northern boundary reduction included, as fears of overdevelopment in the northern part of the town (along Seaward Drive) have been ongoing for years. 

Last Wednesday, more than a dozen members of the Cape Paterson Residents and Ratepayers Association (CPRRA) gathered along Seaward Drive in anticipation of the committee’s arrival.

Committee members toured along the northern boundary to gain a better understanding of the area, however, this wasn’t the opportunity for locals to ‘lobby’ members.

The committee included representatives from council and the Planning Minister.

Due to the briefness of the tour, CPRRA members were concerned the committee wouldn’t fully understand why they opposed the expanded town boundary and future development.

“Our community has lived with the threat of a development to the north for years, and at every point in the process – every community engagement, survey and submission process – has voiced concerns in overwhelming numbers,” CPRRA spokesperson John Coulter said. 

“When the State Government declared Bass Coast a Distinctive Area and Landscape we applauded because after years of fighting this David versus Goliath battle, we believed that Cape Paterson’s future would not be driven by developers’ interests but by an environmental and community character focus. 

“Even Bass Coast Council, in their submission to the committee, question the justification for such a massive increase in size of Cape Paterson and the impact on the environmental and ecological values.

“The committee has one chance to get this right, and we urge them to take the time needed to appreciate the transformative and negative impact overdevelopment would have, not just for the current residents, but for future generations.” 

In 2022, a CPRRA analysis found that at least 270 of the submissions from the wider Bass Coast area (35 per cent) specifically referred to Cape Paterson. 

Of those, 262 did not support the proposed Cape Paterson proposed settlement boundary and eight supported it. 

In July 2022, a letter signed by more than 700 people expressing concern about overdevelopment at Cape Paterson was sent to Premier Dan Andrews.

Public hearings are expected to get underway from March 6 to April 27.

The venues for the hearing will be:

Weeks 1: 6 and 7: Wonthaggi Town Hall, Baillieu St East, Wonthaggi

Weeks 2: 4, 5 and 8: 1 Spring Street, Melbourne, Hearing Room 1

Week 3: 80 Collins Street, Melbourne, Level 6, North Tower.

The hearing will also be accessible by video conference using Zoom.