The Anglesea & District Historical Society is a non-profit organisation staffed by volunteer members of the community, whose aim is to research and preserve history of the local area. They welcome new members. If you are interested in joining the society please print the Membership Form.
AIDA is indebted to the Society for allowing us access to their marvelous collection of historical photographs of Aireys Inlet and our surrounding district.
AIDA committee members recently met with Barwon Water representatives and were provided with a presentation on the Aireys Inlet Water Supply Upgrade. The options are to either build a new treatment plant at the present site or install a pipeline from Anglesea to Aireys Inlet. The options are being investigated and there will be further community sessions to obtain feedback on the options. The Painkalac would remain as a dam. The Barwon Water representatives were advised that the Aireys Inlet community is very “protective” of its dam and that it would be preferred if residents could be sent information on the progress of the proposals/options via mail drops.
A forum “CONNECTING AIREYS & BEYOND”, organised by AIDA and former shire councillor and mayor Libby Mears, was held following the AIDA AGM to share the great work of three important community organisations in our town.
Speakers from the Fairhaven Life Saving Club (Paul Shannon), the Tourism & Traders Association (David and Anne Dansick) and the Community Garden (Terrence Hoffman) told the audience how to get involved with our brand new Surf Club, what role the Tourists and Traders play for the town, and how the Community Garden Makes a Difference.
Light refreshments were served by AIDA at the conclusion of the Forum, which was judged to be a great success worthy of repeating at next year’s AGM with speakers from other local community groups.
Meeting between Surf Coast Shire staff, the Isis Planning consultant and representatives from ANGAIR and AIDA on changes to the planning scheme resulting from bushfire legislation.
Trying to keep up with planning in Victoria is a nightmare, yet planning has significant implications for our community. Recently AIDA was informed that the Surf Coast Shire has commissioned a review of its Planning Scheme. The review by Isis Planning will examine overlay controls and policies that are inconsistent with current state bushfire planning provisions. It will ‘develop options to balance vegetation and character issues in the overlay/policy controls to better integrate with the bushfire planning provisions’.
So where has this initiative come from? Recommendations of the 2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission were translated into Amendment VC83, which introduced new bushfire planning provisions into the Victoria Planning Provisions and all Victorian planning schemes. Therefore, our shire must modify its current scheme to align with the new state legislation.
One of the tasks of the review is to examine the replanting requirements of our scheme’s overlays and policies. This includes overlays dealing with significant landscape and neighbourhood character as well as policies directed at streetscapes and coastal development. Depending on what is recommended by the review and adopted by the shire, we can expect changes to what is an acceptable vegetation plan for new applications, what is acceptable vegetation on nature strips and what changes are needed to better protect our settlements.
AIDA was one of four local organisations invited to take part in a consultation workshop on 19 September, but only AIDA and Angair attended.
Gary Johnson and Barb Fletcher