Ocean Grove Community Association (OGCA) has ramped up efforts to protect the town’s boundaries.
OGCA has campaigned for the state government to restrict development in Ocean Grove and other towns on the Bellarine Peninsula.
It presented a detailed submission to the state government’s recently released discussion paper on the future planning for the Bellarine Peninsula.
OGCA chairperson Phil Edwards said the main message in the submission was that the government should immediately impose a permanent settlement boundary around Ocean Grove and other Bellarine towns.
“The facts are that there is about 15 years of existing vacant housing growth land already approved and available inside the existing town Ocean Grove boundary which provides for ample growth in our popular town,” he said.
“There should be no more opportunities for further urban growth around our town beyond what is already approved.
“Further growth will, we believe, destroy the surrounding environmentally-significant and attractive rural landscapes which form so much of the character of Ocean Grove.”
Mr Edwards said OGCA was particularly concerned that speculative developers and landowners are seeking further residential development west of Grubb Road around the northern and western edges of Ocean Grove Nature Reserve, which could have serious environmental implications.
Mr Edwards said both Friends of the Ocean Grove Nature Reserve and Geelong Field Naturalists had also made strong submissions to the government opposing any such development because of the serious environmental implications.
OGCA recently conducted an online ‘Enough is Enough’ campaign which advocates the town boundaries be retained in their current location.
“The association has received over 4200 signatures in support of its campaign which clearly demonstrates the wider community support for stopping further outward development around the town and we encourage people who haven’t signed up to do so,” Mr Edwards said.
The online ‘Enough is Enough’ campaign is still open for people to sign up at chng.it/44MPprTqrJ
