NOVEMBER 2021
A look back at the year that was.
Landowners behind a push to redevelop the Ocean Grove Hotel area in Collendina want the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) to abandon its plans for the site to be excluded from the township settlement boundary.
The Bellarine Peninsula, including the area which currently includes the pub and a derelict failed retirement village, is included in the draft Bellarine Distinctive Area Landscape (DAL) prepared by DELWP.
DELWP wants to remove the pub site from the Ocean Grove Settlement map and freeze the land as a farm zone.
Seachange Village Nominees wants to redevelop the land into a residential area, rebuild the pub, and build a hotel, wellness centre and a small cinema.
The current eyesore that is the failed retirement village would be bulldozed under the proposal.
Seachange Villages says part of the land it wants to develop is not farmland at all. It also says the caravan park is not, and has never, been included in the redevelopment plans.
The Voice attended one of the public information sessions outlining the group’s plans for the site.
Seachange Village Nominees spokesperson Serafino de Simone said they were working with the local community, Council and parliamentary representatives to “have a proper review of the DELWP recommendation”.
“We are grateful to the City of Greater Geelong for having advised DELWP that Council opposes the DELWP proposal to remove the urbanised site of the only pub in town from the Ocean Grove Settlement,” Mr de Simone said.
“Our ideas about improving the pub site were at a concept stage following initial community consultation over the previous 12 months. Then DELWP hit us with a completely unexpected shocking overturning of our vision for a highly sustainable integrated village and social community hub.
“We hope to convince the government to allow us to properly evolve ideas for the pub site through further community consultation within the existing planning framework. Already, we have taken on board the many suggestions and differing views from the community, and these will guide our next round of discussion.
“The Ocean Grove ‘Collendina’ pub site has garnered a special place in Ocean Grove township over the last 60 years. With some commonsense open engagement by DELWP, we can get the community back to planning for the next 60 years.”
Ocean Grove Community Association chairperson Phil Edwards said the “OGCA, as do many many residents, remains concerned about inappropriate development”.
“People may have seen a petition online and posts about a developer’s proposals and their views and emotive claims on the impact of a proposed boundary change on their operation of the pub and future residential development concept and plans,” he said.
“Here is a simple fact about the impact, or lack of impact, of the proposed boundary change.
“The draft Bellarine Peninsula Statement of Planning Policy: Settlement Background Paper page 116 states: ‘The site’s existing uses – as a hotel and for accommodation – does not require it to be within the settlement boundary, either to continue to operate or facilitate tourist-related redevelopment. Also while the derelict, partially constructed retirement village is urban in nature and unsightly, this is not a reason to turn the land over for conventional residential development …’.”
