Otway Forum Report

20th May 2018

OTWAY FORUM MEETING No. 312 - May 20 2018

Apologies  Crs. Hart and Potter

- The Planning Ministers Panel on the Barham Valley mega resort has received more information from the developer/speculator.

- The Panel will now decide if the new information is sufficient before it can be released for public submissions for a further 21 days.

- It is anticipated that a second Directions Hearing will be held in late July.

- The main hearing is not expected to commence before late August.

- Great Ocean Road taskforce submissions have closed and final report and recommendations due by the end of the year.

- Perhaps the promotional budget for the GOR could be cut to help fund a new over arching body?

- Then the brand could be relaunched sometime in the future, with a new name, with the high light being the 7 apostles?????

- Many other tourist areas around the world are facing similar overcrowding and infrastructure issues.

- See the Barcelona anti tourism campaign

- GOR closed at Mt Defiance from 28-31 May, to “repair 8 high risk geotechnical hazard sites”, drainage and asphalt works.

- If the road was to collapse at this high point, or Cape Patten, it will take great cost and time to repair.

- Is it time to ban the large buses from the GOR or at least make them contribute more to its maintenance?

- Do these bus tours actually contribute much to our economy, compared to the damage they cause to the road and traffic congestion?

- How many of these companies are foreign owned and booked?

- Large boulders from Werribee are being placed on the foreshore at Thomas’s corner to protect the GOR.

- Many other areas are also under threat and are to be reinforced.

- Back and front beaches are to be replenished this week with sand from inside the harbour and the Pt Bunbury groyne area.

- DELWP workshop reported that most of the sand, that has washed away from last year’s work, has not resettled on the beaches.

- If this cycle of rising sea levels and increasingly more frequent and powerful storm surges continues, there will soon not be enough sand for further replenishment.

- DELWP and Otway Coast Committee are looking for volunteers to monitor the front and back beach erosion with a drone, GPS programmes and a tablet computer, that will be supplied.

- Perhaps the school students could be involved, as its their future that is being washed away?

- More information is required before a long term solution, such as the recommended groynes, will be committed to by our politicians.

- Groynes will widen and heighten the beach, sand bags are not a long term solution and sea walls may protect the road but the beach will disappear.

- Plans of the proposed $4.6m Wild Dog to Skenes Creek coastal track soon to be on the OCC website.

- Is it wise to be putting more public infrastructure in the coastal zone?

- Pt Grey redevelopment design was released last week, 6 years after inception. See GORCC website.

- Pt Bunbury redevelopment still waiting on Expression Of Interest process to begin.

- The first redevelopment plans, for Pt Bunbury, were released in 1989.

- GTA consultants have started a AB Tourism Parking and Traffic Strategy for COS.

- “It will inform a future project, scheduled for later this year, which will look at infrastructure in AB more broadly.”

- Submissions now open on COS budget.

Otway Forum meets 2nd Sunday of every month at 3pm at Marrar Woorn or find us at www.forum.apollobay.org.au. 

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Peter Fillmore
Hon. Secretary
Otway Forum

0428 091 694