Bass Coast Council will dump its rural tourism strategy after a sustained campaign by farmers and conservationists. Photo: Linda Cuttriss
By Catherine Watson
MOST council strategies are entirely un-noticed by the community. BURT was different. It raised hackles before, during and after its short life.
Last September more than 60 residents voted overwhelmingly to reject the Bass Coast Unlocking Rural Tourism (BURT) at a meeting in Cowes organised by the Phillip Island Conservation Society.
Now farmers and conservationists alike have welcomed the demise of BURT two years after it was first released.
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At yesterday’s council meeting, Bass Coast councillors voted five votes to three to dump it following a sustained public campaign.
Phillip Island Conservation Society president Greg Johnson was delighted. “It’s been around for two years and it’s been haunting us,” he said. Bill Cleeland, a Phillip Island farmer and vice-president of the Bass Coast branch of the Victorian Farmers Federation, was just as pleased. |
The vote Motion: To discontinue the Bass Coast Unlocking Rural Tourism Strategy For: Crs Jan Thompson, Tim O’Brien, Mat Morgan, Ron Bauer, Meg Edwards Against: Crs Brett Tessari, Jon Temby, Rochelle Halstead Abstained: Cr Tracey Bell |
He said the strategy over-emphasised Phillip Island as a tourism destination at the expense of farming and the environment.
“As a professional farmer, you don’t want a huge tourist development on your boundary. My view is that Phillip Island has been developed enough. It’s important to save the agricultural land we’ve got left and not split it into smaller blocks.
“As far as I can tell it wasn’t well received by anyone, including the general public. They like to have a balance of housing estates and farm land.”
Funded by a $100,000 State Government grant and adopted by the council in March 2023, the strategy identified a lack of high-end tourism offerings such as branded hotels and conference facilities in Bass Coast, particularly on the island.
The BURT aimed to streamline planning rules for tourist developments outside townships to address this lack. That put it at odds with the Statement of Planning Policy for Bass Coast, gazetted last month by the Planning Minister, which largely restricts development outside township boundaries.
Greg Johnson said the strategy raised the prospect of tourism displacing farming, particularly on the island. “It would inevitably inflate both land values and council property rates, which eventually makes farming unviable.”
The BURT had few defenders at yesterday’s council meeting when Cr Jan Thompson moved an amended motion to “discontinue” it.
“The BURT puts Phillip Island's unique rural character and the rest of Bass Coast at risk,” Cr Thompson said. “Our farmland should stay as farmland. Our woodlands and wildlife corridors should stay protected. Our rural communities do not want to become suburban precincts.”
Cr Tim O’Brien, who moved an earlier notice of motion to review the BURT, said there was clear opposition through broad sections of the community.
“It is not supported by farmers and their representative bodies, the Rural Engagement Group and Victorian Federated Farmers representatives, who will see piece by piece land around them bought up by land bankers and speculators waiting to capitalise on rezoning opportunities.
“It is not supported by conservation groups, by PICS, by the National Trust, by Bass Coast Landcare groups and others who don't want high-end tourism developments hanging over our treasured coastlines outside settlement boundaries.
“I'm not against sensible considered development, but the BURT misses the point in so many ways, mostly because it looks at this region, at the island, through a very narrow tourism lens, at the expense of so many things we hold dear in this wonderful, largely unspoilt region.”
“As a professional farmer, you don’t want a huge tourist development on your boundary. My view is that Phillip Island has been developed enough. It’s important to save the agricultural land we’ve got left and not split it into smaller blocks.
“As far as I can tell it wasn’t well received by anyone, including the general public. They like to have a balance of housing estates and farm land.”
Funded by a $100,000 State Government grant and adopted by the council in March 2023, the strategy identified a lack of high-end tourism offerings such as branded hotels and conference facilities in Bass Coast, particularly on the island.
The BURT aimed to streamline planning rules for tourist developments outside townships to address this lack. That put it at odds with the Statement of Planning Policy for Bass Coast, gazetted last month by the Planning Minister, which largely restricts development outside township boundaries.
Greg Johnson said the strategy raised the prospect of tourism displacing farming, particularly on the island. “It would inevitably inflate both land values and council property rates, which eventually makes farming unviable.”
The BURT had few defenders at yesterday’s council meeting when Cr Jan Thompson moved an amended motion to “discontinue” it.
“The BURT puts Phillip Island's unique rural character and the rest of Bass Coast at risk,” Cr Thompson said. “Our farmland should stay as farmland. Our woodlands and wildlife corridors should stay protected. Our rural communities do not want to become suburban precincts.”
Cr Tim O’Brien, who moved an earlier notice of motion to review the BURT, said there was clear opposition through broad sections of the community.
“It is not supported by farmers and their representative bodies, the Rural Engagement Group and Victorian Federated Farmers representatives, who will see piece by piece land around them bought up by land bankers and speculators waiting to capitalise on rezoning opportunities.
“It is not supported by conservation groups, by PICS, by the National Trust, by Bass Coast Landcare groups and others who don't want high-end tourism developments hanging over our treasured coastlines outside settlement boundaries.
“I'm not against sensible considered development, but the BURT misses the point in so many ways, mostly because it looks at this region, at the island, through a very narrow tourism lens, at the expense of so many things we hold dear in this wonderful, largely unspoilt region.”
“We have too much at stake, too much too easily lost, to not put this unwelcome strategy to bed. It is good night, BURT.”
Cr Tim O'Brien
Cr Mat Morgan said he represented the many constituents who had engaged with him on this issue. “At the end of the day, the BURT in its current form doesn't have the support of our community.”
Cr Ron Bauer said few issues had created more complaints on Phillip Island. “I see the BURT as a backdoor mechanism to get around the DAL (Distinctive Areas and Landscapes). This will give the minister the excuse to allow inappropriate developments to proceed.”
A lone dissenting voice, Cr Jon Temby said that while he shared the widespread community concern about the strategy, there were some aspects that should be retained as the basis for a consultation process.
In particular, he said, the council should be supporting revenue streams without adverse impact on farming practices, such as regenerative tourism activities, farm stays, farm gate sales, heritage visit and wine tasting.
Cr Tracey Bell said there had to be more discussion about the future of tourist accommodation on the island.
“On one hand, we are talking about putting extra levies on the Airbnbs to encourage them into the long-term rental market and improve housing stock. But on the other hand, we say there should be no development of hotel accommodation.
“They've got to sleep somewhere … I'm not saying that I am supporting high-end monstrous resorts on every clifftop, but we have the DAL that has now dictated the town boundaries, they're locked down. So we probably need to be open to the possibility of a hotel or two within those town boundaries as dictated by the SPP.”
Cr Ron Bauer said few issues had created more complaints on Phillip Island. “I see the BURT as a backdoor mechanism to get around the DAL (Distinctive Areas and Landscapes). This will give the minister the excuse to allow inappropriate developments to proceed.”
A lone dissenting voice, Cr Jon Temby said that while he shared the widespread community concern about the strategy, there were some aspects that should be retained as the basis for a consultation process.
In particular, he said, the council should be supporting revenue streams without adverse impact on farming practices, such as regenerative tourism activities, farm stays, farm gate sales, heritage visit and wine tasting.
Cr Tracey Bell said there had to be more discussion about the future of tourist accommodation on the island.
“On one hand, we are talking about putting extra levies on the Airbnbs to encourage them into the long-term rental market and improve housing stock. But on the other hand, we say there should be no development of hotel accommodation.
“They've got to sleep somewhere … I'm not saying that I am supporting high-end monstrous resorts on every clifftop, but we have the DAL that has now dictated the town boundaries, they're locked down. So we probably need to be open to the possibility of a hotel or two within those town boundaries as dictated by the SPP.”