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PORT PHILLIP CONSERVATION COUNCIL INC. Telephone +61393769442, Facsimile 0395891680 warfej@bigpond.com A0020093K Victoria www.vicnet.net.au/~phillip ABN 46 291 176
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Mr John Nevins Chief Executive Officer City of MENTONE VIC 3194 Dear Mr Nevins, Kingston’s
Pernicious Policy on Managing its Crown Foreshore Reserve Vegetation
Needs Changing Port Phillip
Conservation Council Inc, a federation of 16 conservation organizations
around Port Phillip, is most concerned about Kingston Council’s current
and proposed vegetation management plan for PPCC Inc. considers that this proposal need to be changed, and outlines its reasons below: Draft policy to limit (a) Despite this draft policy being unratified, our members have reported that for some months it has been the practice of Kingston City Council to restrict foreshore plantings to low-growing species of plants only, and to exclude tall-growing species of plants from the foreshore revegetation program. We consider that Kingston City Council should abandon these pernicious practices. (b) If this draft policy is ratified, it will establish a most alarming, retrograde and unacceptable precedent for placing the interests and wishes of an inherently tiny, and very narrow, geographically-limited section of the public well ahead of the very much larger entire Victorian public, who do not own real estate on Beach Road, and for whom the Crown Foreshore Reserve is held in trust in perpetuity. (c) The Port Phillip Bay foreshore of the City of Kingston is Crown land and there is no legal right for any person or group to acquire or to retain views over it or through it, nor is there any obligation on its managers to provide or facilitate such views, particularly when such provision would alter the prime natural values for which the land is being managed. (d) This policy will
cause a decline in the quality and range of remnant and indigenous
vegetation on the (e) Valuable wildlife habitat and corridors will be reduced, fragmented or removed. PPCC Inc. considers that this proposal contravenes many
of the State Government and Kingston City Council guidelines for
management of the Victorian Coastal Management Act 1995 Section 3. Definitions. (1) “coastal Crown land” means (a)
any land reserved under the (b)
any Crown land within 200 metres of
high water mark of—(I) the coastal waters of Division 4 - Use and Development
of Coastal Victorian Coastal Strategy 2002 Principle 1. Protection of
significant environmental features. Point 5: Net gain in the quantity and
quality of coastal indigenous vegetation and habitat will be encouraged. Principle 2. Sustainable use
of natural coastal resources. Point 2: Coastal and marine
environments are recognised as long term public assets which should not
be compromised by inappropriate short term decisions or developments. Point 3: Natural dynamic processes and systems which shape and
maintain the coastline and its living resources must be respected and
adverse activities avoided or minimised. Point 6: Continuous improvement in processes, activities and
discharges that have an adverse impact on coastal values shall be
encouraged. Point 7: Coastal catchment planning and management will take
account of coastal values. Point 5: Public understanding and appreciation of coastal values
will be fostered and facilitated over time. Natural onshore environment. Objective
2.1: Protect and
improve the condition of coastal biological diversity. Objective 2.3: Ensure a well managed system of representative coastal
parks and reserves. Objective 2.4: Protect coastal habitats and associated native flora
and fauna. People on the Coast. Objective
3.5: Protect
Aboriginal sites and places from inappropriate development. Siting and Design Guidelines. 3.3.3 Vegetation (a) Natural vegetation should be
disturbed as little as possible, and (b)
Natural regeneration should be encouraged and extensive planting
of indigenous species should occur around development in urban,
suburban and rural areas. Guideline 4: Strategic gaps in indigenous vegetation cover on cliff
tops, cliff faces and dunes to be revegetated using indigenous species
in order to extend and connect the habitat provided by existing
indigenous vegetation. Guideline 5: All revegetation will aim to recreate the structural
elements (eg tree layer, shrub layer, ground layer) and species mix of
the vegetation community(s) that is presumed to have occurred at the
site prior to white settlement. Guideline 9: All confirmed cases of wilful and illegal damage to
foreshore vegetation shall be pursued for a prosecution and sites where
damage has occurred will be revegetated in accordance with the
guidelines. Aboriginal archaeological
guidelines:
There is a possibility that Aboriginal archaeological sites or
materials might be disturbed and exposed during works requiring
excavation of sub-surface deposits. If material suspected to be
Aboriginal in origin is uncovered all works must cease and the Kulin
Nations Cultural Heritage Organization advised. The members of the Kingston City Council constitute the
Committee of Management for the - contribute to a considerable loss of natural foreshore reserve and indigenous vegetation; - reduce the biodiversity of foreshore vegetation and wildlife habitat, and undermine wildlife corridors; - create a shadeless, windswept foreshore environment that is inhospitable for wildlife and people; - increase weed species, which would increase threats to the survival of indigenous species survival; and - create unsustainable and
very unacceptable precedents for We urge Kingston City Council to abandon this proposal for the Kingston Crown Foreshore Reserve, which we regard as tantamount to environmental vandalism. Yours sincerely Ms Jenny Warfe Secretary Port Phillip Conservation Council Inc. cc. Mayor & Councillors, Kingston City Council; Hon. John Thwaites MLA, Hon Phil Honeywood MLA, Mr Noel Pullen MLC, Mr Chris Strong MLC, Mr Bob Smith MLC, Mr Matt Viney MLC, Ms Janice Munt MLA, Mr Murray Thompson MLA Ms Jenny Lindell MLA, Mordialloc-Chelsea Leader, The Age |
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