The Port Campbell Community Group Inc. enlisted law firm Slater & Gordon in its bid to protect the fragile headland from the Southern Ocean Beach House motel complex.

The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) last year gave developer Peter Barraclough the green light to proceed with the development, despite Corangamite Shire refusing to grant him a planning permit extension.

The council must ensure all the permit conditions are met, including a full geotechnical assessment, before the first sod can be turned on the 97-room project.

The Port Campbell Community Group feared the development was excessive and could accelerate the collapse of the headland. The Great Ocean Road used to run around the site but was diverted several years ago because VicRoads was

concerned the clifftop was unstable.

Slater & Gordon lawyer Cameron Tout said various experts, including geomorphologist Eric Bird, were worried about the impact the motel would have on the headland.

``If, despite these concerns, the Corangamite Shire approves the development, liability for any damage caused by the development on the headland and surrounding areas will fall on the shire,'' he said.

``The value of that liability is dependant on many variables but, in a worst-case scenario, could be in the millions of dollars.''

Mr Tout said the Port Campbell Community Group aimed to ensure concerns about the structural integrity of the site were addressed before construction began.

``Our focus at present is on any geotechnical report submitted by the developer of the Southern Ocean Beach House to the Corangamite Shire Council, particularly the adequacy of any report in addressing the environmental and

community impacts of the development,'' Mr Tout said.

Mr Barraclough said the development was progressing steadily.

He said he preferred not to ``run his projects through the media''.

``I run all my projects the same way which is head down and bum up and I try not to get distracted.''