By Catherine Watson

Bass Coast’s woodlands will no longer be considered a priority sand mining area for the state with the announcement of major sand extraction areas at Lang Lang and Trafalgar North. 

The Strategic Extractive Resource Areas (SERA) review excludes the entire Bass Coast Shire, with ministerial advisors saying the Extractive Industry Interest Area declaration on woodlands in Bass Coast could be removed once the SERA process is completed.

It’s a breakthrough for the Save Western Port Woodlands (SWPW) community group after five years of campaigning.  Bass Coast Shire Council has also advocated to end sand mining in areas of environmental significance.

​It doesn’t mean the closure of sand mines already operating in Bass Coast woodlands, but it will make it more difficult for companies to get planning permits for new mines or extensions of existing permits.

BASS Coast Health has secured $5 million in State Government funding towards building hotel-style accommodation for key health workers and their families on vacant land behind Wonthaggi Hospital.

Acting Bass Coast Health CEO Shaun Brooks said the $13 million project would help meet the challenge of accommodating visiting specialists. 

“Like most regional health services, we have Melbourne-based specialists and health workers come for two or more shifts.

This story was revised on September 18 after final nominations were confirmed. ​

THE Wonthaggi-Inverloch shared pathway is the single ‘big ticket’ item in Bass Coast’s draft budget for 2024-25.
 
Bass Coast ratepayers will pay an average 2.75% more in a budget described by Mayor Clare Le Serve as ‘conservative and responsible’.

It provides for total expenditure of $103.6 million, including almost $25 million on capital works, and projects an operating surplus of $4.3 million with a small underlying deficit of $66,000. 

The capital works allocation for `24-25 is down 18% on last year’s allocation as councillors opted to maintain services rather than splash out on new infrastructure.

By Catherine Watson

THE pendulum appears to be swinging back in renters’ favour after several years when rental vacancies were scarce, particularly during the pandemic.

Realestate.com.au this week listed 116 residential properties available for rent in Bass Coast and For Lease signs have started to appear again after a gap of several years. 

But the picture is complicated. While more properties are available, rents have not fallen far from the Covid peak and they remain out of reach of anyone on a Centrelink benefit or low wage.

The cheapest advertised rental on Realestate.com.au this week was $340 a week for a two-bedroom house in Cowes and $360 for a two-bedroom unit in Rhyll, but the rest were all $400 or over. 

After a resounding collective NO!  to a $32 million scheme to seal, pave and drain Surf Beach and Sunderland Bay, several hundred property owners are now asking the council for road upgrades.  
 
The proposed scheme created bitter divisions in the community and cost the council over $500,000 before it was abandoned in December, with more than half the 1041 property owners rejecting it. There were just 133 submissions of support.
 
Remarkably, since then, the council has received one petition of 317 signatures, and eight separate petitions totalling 119 signatures.

The latest petitions relate to:

• The Esplanade, Sunderland Bay (29 signatures) seeking an urban road and drainage upgrade.
• Tolley Ave, Surf Beach (11 signatures), ditto.
• Dunvegan Crescent, Surf Beach, seeking “a suitable, lowcost road design”.​

CR BRETT Tessari didn’t mince his words when he spoke against restricting residential land supply in Cape Paterson at this week’s council meeting.
 
“I don’t agree with the doubling of the size of Cape Paterson … but I think to close the doors completely on Cape Paterson is a short-sighted view.
 
“I can’t help think of families that have grown up there and their kids have built there, and now their kids are going to have to move out of their town where they’ve lived all their lives.