Working Bee 9 September 2017

We had a small but successful Spurge working bee on Sat 9^th Sept with barbeque lunch at the Lifesaving Clubhouse afterwards. It was good to have our President there in person. 

Working Bee 12 August 2017

An enthusiastic band of volunteers completed our last planting for the year in the area between Orana campground and Undertow Beach. 410 indigenous tube-stock with guards were planted by lunchtime. Well done everyone and thanks for making this year’s planting such a great success. 

Click on the title to read more and look at the photos.

Working Bee 8 July 2017

 A big thanks to the 23 enthusiastic volunteers who made our first "planting" working bee for 2017 a huge success. We put in 370 locally indigenous plants ranging from grasses and ground covers to coast banksias which can grow to 10+ metres.

 Click on the title to read more and look at the photos.

Working Bee 17 June 2017

 Volunteers continued working in the foreshore area at the western end of Undertow Bay. This area is located between Orana campground and the coast. Woody weeds which had previously been cut down and poisoned by local contractor, Envirogain were cut and stacked to make room for planting.

Click on the title to read more and look at the photos.

Update on development to the North

At 15th March Bass Coast Shire Council meeting the councillors accepted the recommendation of the planning staff and voted unanimously to:

“ defer consideration of the proposed Planning Scheme amendment for Cape Paterson North to a future Ordinary Council meeting pending submission of a revised proposal”

This was expected as, according to the Sentinel Times, the developer had requested a deferral.

Several councillors spoke about the amendment:

• Some councillors raised concerns about the lack of consultation with the community.

• One councillor was uncomfortable with the fact that by rezoning all of the land at once, it would remove any control from future councils for the duration of the project, which could be for the next 30 years or more.

• One councillor was concerned that the developer should have an opportunity to modify the development to try to satisfy the community, and noted that developers should be encouraged to forward proposals. This was supported by one other councillor.

• There appears to be some councillor support for the proposal but community opposition has eroded some of the support for a complete approval.

• The revised proposal is expected to reduce the number of allotments to between 400 to 500 lots.

• The possibility of consultation between the CPRRA and the developer’s representatives is more than likely, and to represent the community we will need your support.

CPRRA members will be sent an email update as soon as we have any more news.

Cape Paterson - How Big? How Soon? Why?

NOW IS THE TIME TO HAVE YOUR SAY to PREVENT THIS MASSIVE OVER-DEVELOPMENT

The AGM presentation on this issue was well received by an audience of 205 which included the three Councillors from the Bunurong Ward.  

Issue: The map at left shows in red the size of the proposed  residential expansion to the North of Cape Paterson.  A motion to seek authorisation from the Planning Minister to prepare a Planning Scheme Amendment was considered at the March meeting of the Bass Coast Council and deferred at the request of the developer.

CPRRA Position:  There are already 200 lots available in the existing (pink) development to the west of Cape Paterson (approved in 2010) and 40 vacant lots within the developed township. A 2009 Planning Panel Report  stated that developing land to the west and north “would represent a significant oversupply in the planning period.”

The proposal which went to Council in March was to rezone ALL of the red land to residential which will mean 900 extra houses along with the 220 dwellings already approved to west ... of which <20 plots have been sold.  The CPRRA position is that there is current sufficient land availability in Cape Paterson and that an application to develop further land immediately should be rejected by Council.

What you can do now:  Keep an eye on this website or our Facebook page so that when a revised amendment returns to Council you can have your say.  CPRAA members will receive email updates.

West Area Block Project

A 30 acre neglected block of Coastal Reserve that was 'overlooked' during the desalination plant construction, has been saved from becoming a "weed garden" by the actions of our local community.

Lead by the Friends of Wonthaggi Heathland, total funding of $68K was secured to enable the start of environmental restoration of the site.

Find out more about the West Area Block Project by clicking on the title above.