Design and Development Overlay 14 is back on the Geelong Council Agenda tonight

Design and Development Overlay 14 (DDO14) - Dwellings over 7.5m Review is scheduled as Item 3 on the Geelong Council Agenda tonight.


The (DDO14) control within the Greater Geelong Planning Scheme requires dwellings over 7.5m in height to obtain planning approval prior to construction.


Drysdale and Clifton Springs are affected - refer previous post on this for map. 
Recommendation is that Council:


1. Prepare an amendment (C245) to the Greater Geelong Planning Scheme, subject to authorisation, to:
a) Amend the MSS as required including deleting reference to further work (DDO14 review) in clause 21.06-6;
b) Draft a new schedule to the Design and Development Overlay (based on the document version in Appendix 2) which relates to areas identified as having access to views in the municipality and tailored objectives and decision guidelines to assist decision making;
c) Update the planning scheme maps (based on the maps in Appendix 1) to apply the DDO to the identified areas and delete it from all others;
d) Delete DDO14 from the area covered by SLO8;
e) Include the DDO14 over 114-158 The Avenue (south side of the street only) and 84 & 86 Tuckfield Street Ocean Grove.


I wonder if they will have a quorum tonight on this issue?


Update 9 Sept 2011 - The minutes from Council meeting of 23 August 2011,  in relation to this item, state:
Cr Macdonald moved, Cr Doull seconded -
That Council:
1. Prepare an amendment (C245) to the Greater Geelong Planning Scheme,
subject to authorisation, to:
a) Amend the MSS as required including deleting reference to further work
(DDO14 review) in clause 21.06-6;
b) Draft a new schedule to the Design and Development Overlay (based on
the document version in Appendix 2) which relates to areas identified as
having access to views in the municipality and tailored objectives and
decision guidelines to assist decision making;
c) Update the planning scheme maps (based on the maps in Appendix 1) to
apply the DDO to the identified areas and delete it from all others;
d) Delete DDO14 from the area covered by SLO8;
e) Include the DDO14 over 114-158 The Avenue (south side of the street
only) and 84 & 86 Tuckfield Street Ocean Grove.
Carried.

More Info on the Griggs Creek proposed Bridge

Still no word on the outcome of the Griggs Creek bridge.

However, Dryclift Days has published a great overview of the status of the proposed Griggs Creek Bridge linking Bay Shore Avenue with the Jetty Road Development, entitled "A troubling bridge over local waters".

There is also a small article published in the Bellarine Independent on 12 August entitled "Bridge bypass to Guy’s office".

Jetty Road - a Bridge too far - article from Geelong Advertiser August 10

Today's Geelong Advertiser has published an article entiteld "Jetty road a bridge too far: City rides roughshod over concerns of residents" by John Boland - a Clifton Springs resident and former journalist and TV news producer - (page 22 August 11, 2011 issue).

The article discusses the implementation of the Jetty Road Master Plan for Clifton Springs and the Bay Shore Ave / Griggs creek bridge proposal - some highlights below:

"A linchpin of this plan was a north-sout road through the estates from Portarlington Road. this was to link all the estates currently under construction. At the last meeting of council planners and ratepayers, we were advised there was now to be no north-south road for 15 years, if at all....

Unfortunately, this decision completely land locks an estate being developed with sea frontage blocks.

These estates are worth billions of dollars. City hall planners decided to overcome the land-lock by having a bridge built from Bay Shore Ave, which is a dead end street, across Griggs Creek. About 30 meters before Bay Shore Ave ends at Griggs Creek, there is a T-intersection from Kewarra Drive. It would share the traffic increase brought about by a bridge.

Both Kewarra Drive and Bay Shore Ave are two-lane private streets. Should vehicles be partked on each side of these streets for example, it is extremely difficult for another vehicle to pass. Niether private street has footpaths, like most other streets in Clifton Springs....

The latest decision announced by City Hall planners is to build a bridge of unlimited tonnage. This would enable double bogies, trucks, cement mixers, crane vehicles and all other types of construction vehicles to access the land-locked estate for years to come.

Unfortunately the story doesn't stop there. The planners also announced Bay Shore Ave was to take 3000 vehicles a day. This was never in the master plan. Bay Shore Ave currently would take at most 30 vehicles a day and never more than 50. Never could it take 3000 vehicles a day...

Ratepayer-residens were advised last week that State Planning Minister Buy has received a report on his investigation ino the Clifton Springs fiasco. We are advised he will make a decision soon."

Related to this article is the report regarding the C230 Jetty Road Growth Area Stage 1 Development contributions plan which was tabled at the Geelong council meeting in April.

Geelong council Meeting 27 April 2011 Minutes

At the Geelong Council meeting 27 April 2011 - Agenda item 1 looked at the C230 Jetty Road Growth Area Stage 1 Development Contributions Plan.

This amendment proposed a Development Contributions Plan (DCP) for the Jetty Road Growth Area at Drysdale and Clifton Springs.
This was a Council initiated amendment and seeked to include the DCP as an incorporated document in the Planning Scheme and apply a Development Contributions Plan Overlay to Stage 1 of the growth area.
The amendment also proposed a Public Acquisition Overlay (PAO) over private land between Portarlington Road and the Bellarine Rail Trail for a new north-south collector road into the growth area.

A total of eight submissions were received with 2 submissions supporting the
amendment in full and a further 5 submissions objecting to certain aspects.

The 2 supporting submissions were from the Corangamite Catchment
Management Authority and Barwon Water. The objecting submissions were from
the four Stage 1 developers, Vic Roads and the owner affected by the PAO.

Key issues in the objecting submissions include: timing for construction of the east
west and north south collector roads; the pedestrian bridge over the north south
road at the Bellarine Rail Trail; request for Stage 2 to contribute to the east-west
road; Vic Roads request for the north-south road to be provided early; objection to
the compulsory acquisition of land for the north-south road; query on the need for
golf course netting; claims that the costs and contingencies are too high in the
DCP; and a request to reduce the community infrastructure contributions.

Submission from Vic Roads

Vic Roads request for the north-south road to be provided early - The growth area requires a new north south road with an intersection at Portarlington
Rd. The timing is for the road to be provided at 900 lots. The road is shown as Parts A & B on the map in Appendix 1-4.
Vic Road's submission (number 6) is that the North/South Rd should be operational
from the early stages of development (400 lots) to share the traffic load between the
North South Rd and Jetty Rd. Vic Roads is responsible for upgrades to the
Portarlington/Grubb Rd/Jetty Rd intersection but cannot indicate when this will occur.

Officer Response -
Council officers do not support this submission. The initial staging of the growth area
concentrates development close to Jetty Rd and Wyndham Street. It will be some time
before development occurs along the route of the North South Rd. The North South
Road will be constructed during development of Stage 1 but Council officers believe
400 lots is too early and 900 lots as exhibited is the appropriate trigger point.

Compulsory acquisition of land for the north-south road

Submission number 5 from the family of the elderly owner/resident of land (Mrs Stabb) affected by the proposed PAO raises a number of objections. These include questions as to why the land isn't acquired from the Golf Course instead, and concerns regarding negative impacts on farming activities on the land, quality of life, privacy, access and fencing.

Officer Response - Acquiring land from the Golf Course would require major works to reconfigure the course to suit and, as the Stabb property is within Stage 2 of the Growth Area, it is seen as a more appropriate option.
While there will be a loss of a strip of land the remainder of the property should not be
affected. Compensation at the time of acquisition will be provided. Access to the property will be provided from the north south road when it is eventually constructed.

There may be a small impact on the privacy of the Stabb household but this can be
minimized with planting and fencing along the road. To lessen the immediate concerns of the Stabb family it is recommended that purchase of the land is delayed by 2 years so that the land is acquired at 450 lots as opposed to the DCP current timing at 150 lots (i.e. after one year of development).

Refer minutes from the Geelong Council April 27, 2011. The minutes also recorded the following decision on this Agenda item:

Cr Macdonald moved, Cr Doull seconded - Carried-
That Council having considered all submissions to Amendment C230 to the
Greater Geelong Planning Scheme resolves to:

1) Request the Minister for Planning to appoint an Independent Panel under Part 8 of the Planning & Environment Act;

2) Refer all submissions to the Panel;

3) Submit to the Panel its response to the submissions generally as outlined in this report.

Hopefully common sense will prevail and the bridge over Griggs Creek will not proceed. Councillors really should start to listen to residents or come next election they might be replaced.

Drysdale Primary School Trivia Night - 13 August

On Saturday 13 August, the Drysdale Primary School is hosting a trivia night from 7 - 11pm to raise funds for the re-establishment of the school's play area.

It is being held in the school hall - cost is $10 per ticket and it is for Adults only.

BYO food and drink.

Contact the school on 5251 2272 for tickets and information.

Drysdale Library will close from 29 August for 2 months

The Drysdale Library will be redeveloped to increase community space to allow for more activities, improve layout and increase public computers with internet access from two computers to ten computers.

 

For this to happen the Drysdale Library and the Geelong Council's Drysdale Customer Service Centre will close temporarily from Monday 29 August 2011 for approximately two months.

 

The Geelong Libraries website advises library members to access the service at other branches in Ocean Grove, Queenscliff or Newcomb or via the mobile library stops at Portarlington, Leopold and St Leonards. 

More information is available from the Geelong Libraries website.

Geelong Council Revisits Design and Development Overlay Height Levels

The Geelong Council has on its Agenda for this Tuesday night Design and Development Overlay 14 (DDO14) - Dwellings over 7.5m Review.

The Design and Development Overlay – schedule 14 requires a planning permit to be obtained for any buildings and works over 7.5 metres in height above natural ground level..

Below is a plan of the Drysdale Clifton Springs area (the parts shaded in pink) to which this Proposed Application of DDO14 will apply:

The Design and Development Overlay 14 (DDO14) control within the Greater Geelong Planning Scheme requires dwellings over 7.5m in height to obtain planning approval prior to construction.

An amended DDO will be applied to some parts of Drysdale-Clifton Springs (areas generally adjacent to Collins and High Street).

More information is available from the Geelong Council Agenda.

Update 3 August 2011 - The minutes of the meeting are available.  This item did not have a quorum due to conflicts of interest by a number of councillors. So the item has lapsed.

Monthly Planning Decison by Geelong Council as it affects Drysdale

Geelong Council Agenda for Tuesday 26 July 2011 reports one planning permit granted for Drysdale and Clifton Springs.

323/2011 45 Duke Street, Drysdale - Development of Two (2) Dwellings and Two (2) Lot Subdivision 24 June 2011. Notice of Decision to Grant a Planning Permit. Delegated Authority - 1 objector.

New Subdivision opens in Drysdale

A new subdivision bounded by Clarendon Road, Woodville Street and Princess Streets in Drysdale is now open. Called Central Walk Drysdale - the subdivision is offering 200 lots varying in size from 405- 891 sq metres. Works to put in drains and roads are said to commence around October/November later this year.

This subdivision was enabled under Amendment C103 which was adopted by Geelong Council in September 2010.

A photo of the local area overlaid with the proposed subdivision was published in the Bellarine Times this week (July 5, 2011) on pages 28-29.

The developer is Ross Closter of Urban Land Developments. The sales office is located at 37 Princess Street, Drysdale.

Update 22 July 2011: Dryclift days has provided an interesting commentary on the conflicts between the design of this development and the spirit of the Drysdale Clifton Springs Structure plan - worth a read!

Geelong Council says no to swimming pool for Drysdale

The Bellarine Independent newspaper on Friday 1 July 2011 reports in an article entitled "Council 'scuttles bid for new pool'":

"GEELONG'S council has poured cold water on a new push for a pool to service Clifton Springs and Drysdale, according to a community representative..."

The Drysdale Clifton Springs Community Association has been advocating for a new pool to be included as part the Drysdale/Clifton Springs Sports Precinct Master Plan.

Dryclift Days in their blog article entitled: DCSCA proposal to break pool deadlock says:

"The City of Greater Geelong (CoGG) asserts that there is insufficient local demand to justify building a $12m swimming pool and has advised local people to go to the pool at Ocean Grove..."

Seems like Council is not interested in what the residents want only in what Council wants to give them - guess there is an election coming the end of next year - will be interesting to see what that flushes out into the swimming pool mix!

Public Meeting July 6 regarding Bellarine Peninsula Lookout

The Geelong Council is convening a public meeting on Wednesday 6 July at 6pm at the Potato Shed, Peninsula Drive, Drysdale to find out community feedback on proposed sites for a lookout on the Bellarine Peninsula.

More information is available from: Jake McMinn on 5272 4968 or email jmcminn@geelongcity.vic.gov.au.