LOCAL community groups say they have made some progress at the panel hearings into the Bass Coast Distinctive Areas and Landcapes (DAL) project, but there is a long way to go.
The future of sand mining in the Western Port Woodlands and the Cape Paterson township boundary are the two most contentious issues for the panel, attracting 500-plus and 270 submissions respectively.
The biodiversity value of the woodlands was acknowledged during the first weeks of the panel hearings, buoying members of a woodlands coalition representing Save Western Port Woodlands, the South Gippsland Conservation Society and the Victorian National Parks Association.