Bass Coast Council meeting: Sealed roads, footpaths a step closer in Sunderland Bay and Inverloch boat ramp to get $4m facelift

Bass Coast property owners could be forced to pay up to $25,000 each if a plan to seal roads and build footpaths goes ahead. Read the details.

Sunderland Bay, Phillip Island, Victoria.

A controversial plan has progressed despite continued opposition from a portion of the Bass Coast community.

At its March council meeting Bass Coast councillors voted to adopt a concept design for the Surf Beach and Sunderland Bay special charge scheme which would seal and create narrower roads, install underground drainage and build footpaths.

The proposed cost of the project is between $25.5m and $31.2m, some of which would be paid by residents.

Since May 2022 council officers have been through an “extensive process” of community engagement to develop a range of different concept design options.

But since it’s inception the plan has attracted opposition from residents who believe the upgrades would make the area feel too “urban” and destroy the “fragile environment”.

A petition against the proposal has so far amassed 667 signatures.

Some residents in Surf Beach and Sunderland Bay are feeling ignored by council after a decision was made to continue with a special charge scheme which would see roads be sealed.

One opposer, Maxine Sando, previously told the Herald Sun it wasn’t fair residents were being asked to pay for something they opposed.

“Many residents are very worried about what the final costs will be and many have indicated that they would be forced to sell and relocate,” Ms Sando said.

Another, Emily, said she was against the attempts to “urbanise” the area.

“We, as a majority of residents and ratepayers oppose in it’s entirety, an outdated road scheme that seeks to urbanise what is a sensitive and crucial part of the Phillip Island ecosystem,” she said.

About a quarter of residents were opposed to all three proposed design options and a quarter supported at least one option, with half of the residents not responding to the questionnaire.

During Wednesday’s council meeting Cr Clare Le Serve said the design decision didn’t mean the scheme was going ahead but allowed for it to be put to a vote.

“If we don’t move forward residents won’t have all the information to make a decision … based on their individual situation,” she said.

The “base case” design was the most popular design among councillors for a number of key reasons including being the least expensive, not building speed humps, and being the most environmentally conscious.

If passed each property owner would be asked to pitch in at least $19,600 but the figure could be closer to about $25,500.

Cr Brett Tessari said he understood the financial burden was hard but believed the “difference it makes to people’s lives is incredible”.

Cr Rochelle Halstead told the meeting she was “saddened” to hear some residents had been bullied and intimidated into voting a certain way.

“Residents who feel bullied should access the facts through the Engage Bass Coast website,” she said.

The next step in the project is the development of the total estimated costs and the proposed funding model.

A report would then be presented to a future council meeting, including how costs would be levied to individual property owners.

If over 50 per cent of property owners lodge objections then the project cannot proceed.

Boat ramp upgrades

Works are set to go ahead at the Mahers Landing boat ramp in Inverloch after funding was announced late last year.

Councillors this month granted the planning permit for the $4m upgrade, allowing works to commence.

These works will mean the existing boat ramp will be replaced by a longer, two-lane ramp to give all water uses better access to Anderson Inlet at different tides.

Mahers Landing boat ramp is getting much needed upgrades.

Better Boating Victoria infrastructure projects manager Duncan Hill said the upgrades would allow the ramp to be “fully used”.

“The idea is that we will pull people down from Inverloch to here where it is a bit safer,” he said.

This is one of the few areas along the South Gippsland coast where boats can gain access to Bass Strait and provides haven from weather, boosting the importance of this upgrade.

During Wednesday’s council meeting keen fisher Cr Rochelle Halstead said she “couldn’t wait” for the ramp upgrade.

A new jetty and rigging/de-rigging area will also be constructed along with improvements to the car park and a new toilet block.

The car park will be surfaced and extended to include 66 spaces in total, made up of 57 car-trailer spaces, five standard car spaces, two car-trailer spaces and two disabled spaces.

The report included with the application submitted to council said the works would “improve the capacity, functionality and safety of the existing boating facility to better accommodate coastal dependent recreational activity”.

Minister Fishing and Boating Sonya Kilkenny and Member for Bass Jordan Crugnale visited Mahers Landing to make the announcement of the upgrade to the ramp.

“The proposal protects areas of environmental sensitivity by directing infrastructure to an existing “recreational node” in an area already used for recreational activity on the high value water body such as Anderson Inlet,” it said.

Fishing and Boating Minister Sonya Kilkenny and Member for Bass Jordan Crugnale visited Mahers Landing in September to announce the funding.

The current ramp will remain open throughout construction, which is expected to start in April.