Apollo Bay, Victoria - on the Great Ocean Road

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Harbour resort development  

• A letter has been received from a bureaucrat at Tourism Victoria regarding funding for a harbour resort redevelopment. However the letter is regarded as confidential and has not been released for public comment.
• Otway Forum maintains that authorisation for a $26 million spend on public infrastructure must come from the highest level of government, not a Tourism Victoria bureaucrat .
• A councillor’s workshop will soon be held to discuss ALL of the above concerns that would stop a public pool at the harbour but allow a private luxury resort. Then a report will be put to council recommending the commencement of a Planning Scheme Amendment.
• Current councillors and ratepayers are reminded that council elections are to be held this year and these two issues will be at the top of the agenda when votes are cast.
• If current councillors vote to proceed with the PSA they will be indicating their support for the resort proposal.
• Once the divisive, time consuming and expensive PSA begins, it will be very hard to stop the inevitable result being a recommendation to allow a luxury resort to be built at the harbour.
• With the golf club now assured of a lease on its current boundaries, the EBD plan is irrelevant. The footprint for a resort is now reduced to an area 20m x 80m between the fisherman’s co-op and the boat ramp.

 A multi-storey resort at this location will have its foundations at the current high tide level.

• The 2012 Victorian Coastal Council Strategy report is expected to raise the sea level rise prediction from 80cm to 100cm for 2100

Otway Forum urges all current councillors to reject the commencement of a PSA for the harbour and avoid another Great Ocean Green style farce!!!

Councillors and officers are meeting the Fire Services Committee this week and will raise the issues of a fire warning siren and fire danger warning signs in Apollo Bay and COS. Lorne has been approved for a fire siren trial.  Concerns have been raised about liability issues if not every person can hear a siren, however Otway Forum believes any form of warning is better than none at all !!

A new coastal management plan will be released for public comment this week by OCC. However they are still waiting on funding for another report on what to do about the increasing erosion issues at Apollo Bay front beach and Mounts Bay which is threatening the GOR and other infrastructure.  

Otway Forum can be found at apollobay.org.au

Next meeting feb.12 Marrar Woorn 3pm