Overview

The Bass Coast contains distinctive rural and coastal landscapes, productive agricultural land, and sensitive environments of significant biodiversity value. The area attracts lifestyle residents, as well as holiday makers and includes the popular tourist destination of Phillip Island.

The small coastal towns along the Bass Coast are experiencing increasing urban development pressures, due to the municipality’s high growth rate and proximity to Melbourne. We need to provide greater planning certainty to ensure we build liveable and sustainable communities.

The Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) will work with the Bass Coast Shire Council and Traditional Owners, the Bunurong, to declare the Bass Coast a Distinctive Area and Landscape under the Planning and Environment Act (1987). The Distinctive Area and Landscape project will identify long-term settlement boundaries to protect the unique Bass Coast for current and future generations.

We will consult with Traditional Owners, local councils and the community throughout 2019 and 2020.

Get involved

There will be public engagement throughout the project to capture the community's input into the long-term vision and direction for the Bass Coast.

Community Open Houses

DELWP will be hosting community open houses where you can find out more about the project and help identify the significant values in the Bass Coast that need greater protection.

Please indicate which open house session you will be attending:

The Bass Coast Distinctive Areas and Landscapes project will coincide with consultation on the establishment of the Bass Coast Marine and Coastal Park. The open house sessions will include information on the establishment of the new park and the project team will be on hand to answer questions.

Survey

The Bass Coast is renowned for its excellent beaches, coastal biodiversity, and wealth of tourism opportunities. In past community engagement exercises undertaken by government, we’ve heard that the landscapes, history and natural environment are much loved aspects of the Bass Coast.

In the following questions, you can identify (a) what you value in the Bass Coast; (b) what you believe are the threats to these values; and (c) how you think these values could be better protected.

You can also pinpoint these values using the below mapping tool.

Open

Tell us what you value about the Bass Coast

Here is an opportunity to identify places you value on the Bass Coast. Click 'Add Marker' and drag and drop a pin, make a comment and upload images. You can drop more than one pin.
137 contributions so far
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1. The Bass Coast is known for its pristine natural environments such as rich coastal areas and wetlands.
2. The Bass Coast is known for its quality landscapes and scenic views such as the Bass Hills and Bunurong coastline.
3. The Bass Coast is known for its cultural heritage significance, including Aboriginal cultural heritage and paleontological heritage.
4. The Bass Coast is known to have distinctive township character including a relaxed coastal feel and renowned beaches.
5. The Bass Coast economy is supported by diverse sectors including agriculture, tourism, construction, and infrastructure.

If your response is more than 500 words, please use the upload function to submit as an attachment.

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Stories of the future

Other initiatives and prior engagement with the Bass Coast community have contributed to the development of vision statements for the region. The following collage captures the sentiments expressed by people and may help inspire your response to this question.

You can also add pictures or drawings to your story.


8. Which of the following statements describe your connection to the Bass Coast? Tick all that apply
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10. How would you like to be informed about the development of the Bass Coast Distinctive Area and Landscape project?
11. How would you like to be involved in the engagement for the Bass Coast Distinctive Areas and Landscapes project?
Privacy Statement

The Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning collect your personal information through this form for the purposes of the public engagement process and for reporting purposes. Your email address (if provided) may also be added to our mailing list, from which you may unsubscribe at any point. We will not disclose your personal information without your consent, except where required to do so by law. If you do not wish to provide your personal information we will not be able to identify your submission if you wish to access it, make a correction or require technical support. You may contact us to request access to your personal information, or for other concerns regarding the privacy of your personal information at planning.implementation@delwp.vic.gov.au

Confidentiality of Your Submission

Your Submission has been collected by DELWP for the purpose of informing the Distinctive Area and Landscape Project. DELWP may do the following with the content of your submission.

1. Publish a copy of your submission on the DELWP website or other Victorian Government website.

2. Quote directly from your feedback in the DELWP response to feedback.

If you do not wish your submission to be published or to have content from your submission quoted in the DELWP response to consultation, please tick the box below. All submissions are public documents. Please do not include personally identifying information in the body of your submission.