Protect the Bellarine has been created so we can inform and provide resources to the community about the Planning Minister's decision to refer the draft Statement of Planning Policy for the Bellarine Peninsula to a Standing Advisory Committee. We hope our social media presence and website will contribute to our voices being heard loud and clear to our decision makers. We will work to hold the Stat
e Government, leaders and decision-makers accountable for their actions, hopefully moving them to rethink what is possible. In 2019 the state government committed to declaring the Bellarine Peninsula a Distinctive Area and Landscape (DAL) under the Planning and Environment Act 1987 and to develop a Statement of Planning Policy to protect the environment, landscapes and lifestyle of the Bellarine Peninsula. The statement provides permanent settlement boundaries for all townships, to protect their character, and preserves environmental features, green breaks and landscapes between towns. This draft statement is supported by the City of Greater Geelong. The Minister for Planning, Richard Wynne, made a decision on December 7, 2021 to refer the draft Statement of Planning Policy for the Bellarine DAL with specific reference to settlement boundaries, to an independent Standing Advisory Committee to review the draft Statement. This leaves community groups and citizens at a great disadvantage in providing further input into this process, as other parties, such as developers have access to large funds enabling representation by QC's at the hearing. Hearing time is allocated approximately 77% to developers and the like and only 23% to others, including community groups. We post photos of the things we love and want to protect on the Bellarine, articles that may be of interest, and updates on what community groups across the Bellarine are doing. We do not expect you to agree with everything we say, but if you agree with some of it, please work with us, to let our politicians know we are not happy with the possible expansion of our township boundaries.
