‘Lying in front of bulldozers’: Phillip Island residents asked to pony up tens of thousands for road works

When Bass Coast Shire Council proposed charging residents of two neighbouring housing estates on Phillip Island about $25,000 each to upgrade their roads and drains, the backlash was swift and clear.

The council moved to implement the “special charge scheme” about three years ago, hoping to seal dirt roads and build drains, kerbs and channels. But after failing to gain enough support from residents, the council abandoned the project for the Surf Beach and Sunderland Bay estates in 2023.

Some residents celebrated, believing the special charge scheme was dead. Turns out, it was just dormant.

The Surf Beach estate at Phillip Island. Credit: Joe Armao

Last month the council moved to revive the special charge scheme to carry out road and drainage works on a stretch of The Esplanade at Surf Beach. Under the latest plan, 17 residents will be asked to pay an average of $24,000 each, although at least one property owner faces costs up to $40,000. The charge can be paid up front or in instalments over time.

Opponents fear the council will now proceed street by street, either seeking majority support from ratepayers or hoping they neglect to vote altogether, allowing the scheme to proceed. The council, however, insists its latest move was initiated by property owners themselves and most in the new project area support upgrades.

Surf Beach resident Maxine Sando said Bass Coast Shire was trying to revive an unpopular scheme and shift costs onto ratepayers, who had thought the council had canned the scheme in a 2023 statement on its website.

“The council said it’s not going ahead,” Sando said. “Now they’ve manipulated the policies so they can do whatever they want. I guess people feel pretty anxious.”

She said the initial upgrade plans across the two estates would have resulted in wider roads eating into habitat for wildlife, including shearwater bird nests.

Surf Beach residents Maxine Sando and Graeme Davy walking on The Esplanade. Credit: Joe Armao

Sando said while the latest proposal did not pose the same environmental risk, she would mount a vociferous protest if a similar scheme was rolled out in areas with sensitive habitat.

“Then we’ll be basically lying in front of any bulldozers because it’s a rarity to have the rookeries on both sides of the road anywhere on the island. This is just such a unique spot.”

Under council policy, if the number of objections falls short of 50 per cent of owners impacted by a proposed special charge scheme, the shire will decide whether to proceed.

Surf Beach resident Graeme Davy said the council could force a special charge on ratepayers in a situation where opponents outnumbered supporters but fell short of the 50 per cent threshold if most owners didn’t vote.

He was facing a charge of $35,000 when his property was included in the first iteration of the scheme. His house is not included in the latest, far smaller, project area.

Davy argued many in the community now feared the council’s latest plan would result in road projects looking haphazard and confusing for drivers.

“We could have half a dozen different variants of a sealed road,” he said.

Davy said the unsealed roads were part of the area’s rural charm.

“So dust is a problem, but it’s something most of us are willing to put up with for living in the area. We bought in this area knowing what it looked like.”

The Esplanade overlooks the water at Surf Beach on Phillip Island where the council wants to charge residents for upgrading roads. Credit: Joe Armao

He accused the council of refusing to listen to residents who opposed the scheme. The council, however, insisted it is engaging with residents affected by the project.

Fellow Surf Beach resident Lou Pecora said The Esplanade upgrade was desperately needed. He said dust often made it impossible for him to open his windows and drainage was “horrendous”.

Pecora, whose home is among the 17 in the new project area, said his road was particularly busy on weekends and holidays.

“In summer it’s a nightmare with the dust,” he said. “In winter it’s very muddy.”

Pecora said local roads were unsafe for pedestrians. And he has been petitioning for an upgrade even though, he said, the council proposed to charge him $19,000 for the project.

Pecora said many owners had opposed the scheme originally because their primary residence was elsewhere, and they did not have to live with traffic, mud and dust every day.

“They are fair weather visitors.”

In August 2023, the council described the proposed works at Surf Beach and Sunderland Bay as the highest priority areas for infrastructure upgrades.

The council had wanted the special charge scheme to help pay for the project at an average cost of about $25,600 per property. By December 2023 the council backed away and released a statement saying it would not proceed after most affected ratepayers objected.

There are about 1000 dwellings at Sunderland Bay and Surf Beach, many of which are holiday homes.

In 2023, former mayor Clare Le Serve said there had been a petition of 317 residents who supported the special charge scheme.

“While the feedback suggests the majority of property owners objected to the proposal, we acknowledge that some residents supported the upgrade and will be disappointed with this result,” she said.

Le Serve’s 2023 statement said if there was a street or small area where at least 70 per cent of property owners supported an upgrade in future the council could consider it.

Following a review of its roads and drainage policy last year, the council decreased the level of support required to consider reprioritising a project area from 70 per cent to 50 per cent.

This week a council spokesman said the road and drainage upgrade for The Esplanade was “community-initiated”, in contrast to the 2023 scheme, which was initiated by the council.

He said it was difficult to reach complete agreement on projects requiring the community to contribute funding, but 94 per cent of the 17 affected property owners supported The Esplanade works.

The Esplanade runs along the beach at Phillip Island. Some residents want it upgraded, but others are opposed. Credit: Joe Armao

If the project proceeds as planned, the council will pay about $1.6 million while ratepayers will contribute just over $409,000.

The spokesman confirmed the council was also working on other community-initiated road and drainage projects.

“Other streets that are not community-initiated projects will be surveyed to gauge interest in due course as the program progresses.”

The council said ratepayers who live in affected properties and whose only income is a government pension might quality for hardship assistance.

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