Creek battle set to expand north

Alex de Vos
A lobby group has pledged to expand its fight against development beyond Spring Creek after Surf Coast Shire revealed additional residential areas could help triple the population of Torquay and Jan Juc.
Speak Up For Spring Creek’s David Bell said the group was concerned about the shire’s plan for thousands of new residents on farmland in Torquay’s north and on a separate site east of Duffield’s Road.
He said many residents concerned about development had overlooked the Torquay north and Duffields Road plans while they concentrated on the shire’s Spring Creek proposal.
“We need to look at what’s happening to the whole of Torquay and not just Spring Creek,” Mr Bell said.
He was particularly concerned about the Torquay north plan.
“It’s been flying a bit under the radar but it’s still something that needs to be addressed,” he said.
“It’s quite a bit further advanced than Spring Creek but it’s going to impact Torquay.”
A spokesperson said the shire was waiting for Planning Minister Justin Madden to approve the 210-hectare residential area in Torquay’s north.
The area is bordered by Surf Coast Highway and South Beach and Horseshoe Bend roads.
The land could combine with a separate subdivision east of Duffield’s Road to give Torquay and Jan Juc capacity for a population of 20,000, the spokesperson said.
The shire’s Spring Creek proposal for 6400 dwellings could house a further 14,000 residents.
The three proposed subdivisions could give Torquay and Jan Juc enough land for 34,000.
The 2006 Census recorded a total population for the towns of about 10,000.
Surf Coast Shire has received 2300 submissions on the Spring Creek proposal.
A shire spokesperson said “almost all” the submissions “voiced some element of concern, question or comment about the ideas contained in the draft Spring Creek urban growth framework plan”.
“While discernable themes are emerging from the responses, it is too early yet to capture fully the range and extent of the comments people have made,” the spokesperson said.
Mr Madden had not returned the Independent’s call for comment on the Torquay north plan before the paper went to press.