Building backlash

Andrew Mathieson
BARWON Heads residents have angrily opposed council changes to extend the town’s boundaries west for further residential and commercial development.
Geelong’s council now faces a backlash over amendments last week to incorporate private land into a Barwon Heads’ structure plan.
A surge of residents attended a Barwon Heads Association meeting on Wednesday night to voice their concern.
Association members voted overwhelmingly to fight plans for a land swap to expand Barwon Heads Golf Club further west and to increase housing density.
Community members clashed at the meeting during heated discussion.
New association president David Freeman and longstanding member Anthony Mignani were at loggerheads over the association’s stance on the council plan.
An independent panel had rejected plans to expand the town’s boundaries but council is still pushing for rezoning.
Mr Mignani slammed council.
“All the professional organisations that were involved in the review and the community has strongly opposed going outside the western boundary,” he said.
Mr Mignani said developers proposed to sell 16 hectares to Barwon Heads Golf Club in a tradeoff for rezoned residential land.
The proposed changes to Barwon Heads’ urban design would promote highdensity development akin to nearby coastal townships, he said.
“Ocean Grove and Torquay are growth corridors – that is not what Barwon Heads has ever been about,” Mr Mignani said.
He accused the association’s president of compromising his role.
“We needed to have our association to have a clear say on this,” he said.
“(David) Freeman doesn’t speak on behalf of the association on this issue.”
But Mr Freeman said residents’ actions against development were “extremely premature”.
Mr Freeman believed the meeting was “hijacked”.
“I thought they were very discourteous,” Mr Freeman said later.
“We had prepared the meeting as planned and they hadn’t even given me a phone call to say they were planning on doing this.
“I don’t think that’s reasonable.”
Mr Freeman released a statement after his election last month suggesting the residents should “cooperate with those wishing to bring change” in the form of development.
Barwon Heads Association will write to Geelong’s council and state government expressing its concern about the development plans.