Flood rules hit $4b saltworks plan

A FLOODING overlay could provide another headache for developers proposing a $4 billion residential estate on Geelong’s disused saltworks.
A report to Geelong’s council this week said the site was included in a flood plan that placed a Special Building Overlay (SBO) on the area, requiring elevated floor levels for any new buildings.
The report said the land was identified as subject to a one-in-100 year flood event in which heavy rain would exceed the capacity of the drainage system.
“The application of the SBO will trigger the need for a planning permit for certain works,” the report said.
Ridley Corporation has earmarked the Moolap saltworks for a 4000-dwelling Nelson Cove project that would create thousands of jobs. Environmentalists have opposed the proposal from the outsetm with Bellarine MP and state Environment Minister Lisa Neville calling for a land-use study of the area.
The Independent then reported last week that a new disease threat to the endangered orange-bellied parrot could also affect the project.
The site is considered crucial habitat to the endangered bird, now down to 50 in the wild, although a Ridley spokesperson said monitoring had failed to detect any parrots on the site.