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PORT PHILLIP CONSERVATION
COUNCIL INC.
Telephone +61393769442, +61429176725
12 Burton Street, DROMANA VIC 3936
Facsimile 0395891680
warfej@bigpond.com
A0020093K Victoria
www.vicnet.net.au/~phillip
ABN 46 291 176
191
23rd March 2005
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The
Hon. Steve Bracks
Premier
of Victoria
1 Treasury Place
MelbournE VIC 3000
Dear
Mr Bracks,
The Need for
Public
Acquisition of the Green Wedge ‘Ansett
Land’
on the Mt
Eliza
Coast
Green
Wedge preservation and private ownership of foreshore
areas have recently combined as a significant “landmark” issue in the
Ansett
Estate in Mt. Eliza, which is
currently in the
hands of executors following the death of Lady Ansett.
The estate, of approximately 40 hectares, is within a Green
Wedge zone, and has freehold title to the high water mark of Port Phillip Bay. It is otherwise
bounded by Mt. Eliza Business College, Kunyung Rd, Gunyong Creek
and Nepean Highway, Mt. Eliza. Given its
scientific,
cultural and landscape significance, and its sensitivity to land use
change,
environmental degradation, coastal erosion and recession, the area
should, in
the view of PPCC Inc, be preserved and managed under public ownership.
As a
consequence, and in line with its well-established policies in relation
to
preservation of important remnant areas, Port Phillip Conservation
Council Inc.
requests that the State of Victoria acquire this important section of
land as a
matter of urgency, before development plans might arise, so that it can
become
part of our wonderful network of coastal and state parks.
Green
Wedge: State Government policy, as
articulated in Section 2.35 of the important Victorian Government
publication ‘Making the most of the Bay’ states, “Land forming the Green Wedge between
Kunyung Rd, Mt Eliza and Mornington, and adjoining the coast will be
protected
from subdivisions and development as it is an integral component of the
landscape. A minimum subdivision lot size of 40 hectares will be
maintained.”
A
minimum subdivision lot size of 40 hectares
applies to
Green Wedge Zones (GWZ3) in State and Local Planning Schemes. The entire
parcel of the Ansett Estate is in GWZ3, and contributes
significantly to
the non-urban break established many years ago between Mt Eliza and
Mornington.
Mt Eliza is the southern extremity of the continuous built-up area of
the main
part of the Melbourne metropolis. The
local community and the
Mornington Peninsula Shire Council strongly desire to maintain
Mornington as a
separate township and to preserve a visual landscape break between the
urban
northern areas and the less intensively developed southern Peninsula. The mid east
coast of Port
Phillip entirely lacks a road-free Coastal Park like Point Cook
on the mid
west coast. Given the greater population and urbanization on the
eastern coast,
there is ample justification for such a park.
Landscape: The land has high
landscape
value as it is relatively undeveloped. Buildings do not scar the very
picturesque coastal bluff, so its coastal scenic integrity remains
intact, and
unique in the area. Its
scenic nature contrasts very greatly with the urbanized
coast less
than 1 km to the north.
The
projected rise in sea level of 90 to 880 mm by 2100
(IPCC 2001) has major implications for Port Phillip Bay, and the Ansett
land. The
possible scenarios highlight the need for foreshore reserves that are
sufficiently wide to accommodate significant erosion and recession of
the coast
into the future. This is not a likely outcome if the land were to be
developed
in private ownership.
History and the
future: A foreshore reserve was
gazetted along Mt. Eliza’s entire coast
in 1873. Land
Department records state: “The foreshore
is permanently reserved for public purposes.” We do not know when
or why
the foreshore reservation between Kunyung and Sunnyside Roads was
subsequently
revoked. What we do know is that now is
the appropriate time to put the whole of the 40 hectares back into
public
ownership. The privately owned beaches of Mt Eliza between Osprey Avenue and Sunnyside Road are very popular
with the
local community, being visited by thousands of people annually.
Declaration of
this unique coastal and rural Green Wedge remnant land as a Coastal Park
would ensure
that it was forever protected from inappropriate development.
Your
Government proudly and rightly claims
that 96% of our
coastline is publicly owned. That high figure contributes to the fact
that we
do enjoy some wonderful intact sections of coastline in Victoria. This proposal will assist in
ensuring that we retain and acquire important sections of our coastline
so they
can be preserved and enjoyed in perpetuity. Importantly it will also
remove the
last vestige of private ownership of coastal land in Port Phillip, and
notably
the only privately-owned coastline in eastern Port Phillip. Contrary to
popular
belief, some Portsea foreshores are not privately owned.
The
local indigenous community had its own name for the
coast from Mt Eliza to Mt Martha, and we suggest that the coastal park
be given
that name in their honour if their descendants agree with that.
The start of the
21st Century is an excellent time to honour
our history and to acknowledge that private ownership of our coastlines
is
antiquated, and not in keeping with contemporary social attitudes
towards
beaches and foreshores, access and management. The
recent death of the last owner, and the present status
of the estate
within the hands of executors, provide a unique opportunity for a
smooth
transition to public ownership of this important remnant landscape.
PPCC
Inc. therefore urges your Government to
favourably
consider its proposal, giving special consideration to the unique
coastal,
geomorphological, cultural and planning features of the land.
We would appreciate it if you would inform us of your
response to this request, please.
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