Port Campbell residents are urging designers to go back to the drawing board over plans for a multi-million dollar revamp of the town’s streetscape.
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Corangamite Shire unveiled controversial plans to remove vehicle access and parking from the town’s foreshore earlier this year. Following community backlash, another three options were released.
Many residents fear the designs will restrict access to the foreshore and shops, hurting local businesses and removing the elements that make Port Campbell unique.
Forage on the Foreshore’s Laura Anderson said a petition circulating for two weeks gathered 271 signatures, 212 of those from Corangamite Shire ratepayers.
“It’s safe to say that the Port Campbell foreshore is one of the most valued aspects of the town by the local community and access for everyone is paramount,” she said.
“If you take away the road and the parking you take away accessibility to the disabled, to the elderly, to people who are immobile… and young families.
“The foreshore is one of the few places where you can stay in your car and watch the ocean. This is therapeutic for many people.”
Ms Anderson said while many community members agreed that the foreshore needed a cosmetic upgrade, suggestions such as angle parking and shaded areas for picnics would better meet the needs of locals and visitors.
“Something that concerned me most and appeared to be a general consensus in the community is the shire is not listening to us. The ratepayers that you shire councillors represent, we feel you are not listening to us,” she told this week’s Corangamite Shire meeting.
Ms Anderson’s husband, Sam Anderson, said Forage would struggle to survive if vehicle access and parking on the foreshore was restricted.
“It would shut our winter trade down, in summer it wouldn’t be as bad because you get more foot traffic,” he said.
“If you take away the parking then you take away our business.”
Ms Anderson said the cafe “would be gone”.
Fellow resident Sharon Cotton said being able to park at the foreshore and access the beach, or just park and admire the ocean, was what made Port Campbell unique.
“We do feel that you are trying to take away what is good about our village, instead of enhance what we have,” she told councillors.
Ms Cotton said the community wanted to maintain the current traffic flow in the town, as well as parking at the foreshore.
“The foreshore is the shire’s emergency evacuation point. In our most recent bushfires the evacuation place was most certainly used,” she said.
“In none of the recent four options presented are any disability parks noted. Accessibility should always be something that we look to improve on, not to take away. Reducing foreshore parking reduces accessibility, full stop.”
Coastal ward councillor Simon Illingworth said despite the process of community consultation, it was “very clear that the designers are not listening to what’s going on”.
“What has happened is we’ve outraged our community,” he said.
“We have massive increases in tourism and yet all of a sudden we’re looking at having substantial loss of car spaces in our CBD area, appeased only by the designers’ plan for another car park about 300 metres away from the general store up a very steep hill.
“(Residents) are angry that $400,000 has been spent on architects that won’t listen and they’re even angrier that we’ve got earmarked $5 million of ratepayers’ money to build something not for ratepayers but for some tourism body… that has decided this is what Port Campbell needs to be stamped with.
“Look at Warrnambool, there’s 15 empty shops or something that are empty, with a big bling of streetscape there. We have to be so careful about what we do.”
Corangamite Shire works and services director Brooke Love said the project, first identified in the 2016-17 council budget was taking time because it was important to get it right.
“Please be assured council is looking at a range of design options and a decision will not be made by council without consideration of all feedback,” she said.
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