City ‘left with Port Bellarine headache’: $2m clean-up bill

By John Van Klaveren
GEELONG ratepayers face a $2 million bill to rehabilitate the site of an ill-fated Port Bellarine development, according to a state MP.
Member for Bellarine Lisa Neville said the Crown land under the tourist development lease would require extensive restoration.
The rehabilitation bill would be on top of money council had already spent on the area in the mistaken belief it was the responsible authority, Ms Neville said.
The Independent reported last month that State Government faced a $100 million writ for attempting to kill off the 30-year-old proposal.
The Government rushed to repeal a 1981 act of parliament establishing Port Bellarine to beat the developer’s writ.
The initial agreement allowed Grawin Pty Ltd to develop 1000 residential lots, a marina and canal system at Portarlington’s Point Richards but work never commenced.
The Government’s Port Bel-larine Repeal Bill ruled out compensation for the developer but approved a goodwill payment.
Ms Neville said management of the land would revert to City of Greater Geelong.
“The City should be provided with additional resources to enable it to rehabilitate that land,” she said.
“Those funds should be included in any settlement reached by the Government.”
Ms Neville told parliament the land was damaged, with native vegetation removed and a drainage system broken.
“It is my understanding that over the past 30 years the Port Bellarine committee of management met only once. Most people do not even know it exists.
“This area of foreshore has therefore not had the same attention as other parts of Bellarine.
“In recent years local residents have been vocal in their concern about the condition of this area and mistakenly taken those complaints to the City.
“The City of Greater Geelong believed it had responsibility for the area and invested money in trying to bring it up to standard but there is still quite a bit of work required on that bit of the foreshore.”