2.2 Planning and managing use and development Context It is important to provide clear consistent direction for planning and managing the use and development of coastal, estuarine and marine environments in a way that is environmentally sustainable. This creates the need to have appropriate integrated coastal policies, plans and strategies that respond to the major issues affecting the coast and importantly improve integration of catchment and marine management. The policy frameworks and provisions for planning and managing Victoria's coastal environment range from state-wide approaches, such as SEPPs, to regional and local-scale tools such as local planning policies in planning schemes as well as Coastal Action Plans and other management plans that focus on particular coastal issues and circumstances. Appropriate plans - such as this strategy, Coastal spaces (2006), Great Ocean Road Region Strategy, Coastal Action Plans, management plans, regional catchment strategies and planning schemes - need to be constantly reviewed and updated to direct future use and development of the coast in appropriate locations. Land suitable for use and development along the coastal strip is scarce and competition is intense between different activities and land uses. This leads to development pressures on land in lower-lying areas that require care and consideration of a number of risks such as coastal acid sulphate soils, land slip, flooding and climate change. While most of the immediate coastal strip is reserved in public ownership and largely managed for its natural and recreational values, the development on adjacent private land and of adjoining coastal settlements has dramatically impacted the coast. With these challenges in mind it is important that the environmental, economic and social values of coastal resources are identified and the impacts of land use and development on those values are determined as far as practicable before decisions are made. A number of policies and actions relating to planning and managing use and development are outlined in this strategy and apply to the whole of the coast. In particular, it is policy in this strategy to identify and avoid development in areas susceptible to flooding, landslip, erosion, bush fire or geotechnical risk and avoid disturbing coastal acid sulfate soils (CASS). It is also policy to prohibit the development of new residential canal estates to ensure the protection of coastal and estuarine environments. Canal estates can have major adverse impacts on the host estuary, causing loss of habitat, polluting estuarine waters by urban runoff and boating activities and disturbing coastal acid sulfate soils. Figure 8: Estimated extent of coastal acid sulfate soils.   Policy 1. Ensure that planners and managers have regard to the following documents when preparing coastal planning schemes and Coastal Action Plans and management plans, where appropriate: · Victorian Coastal Strategy (2008) · Coastal spaces (2006) · Melbourne 2030: planning for sustainable growth (2005) and Planning for all of Melbourne: the Victorian Government response to the Melbourne 2030 audit. · Great Ocean Road Region Strategy (2004) · Regional Catchment Strategies · Approved Coastal Action Plans and management plans under the Coastal Management Act, 1995 · Other approved management plans such as management plans for Marine National Parks and Sanctuaries. 2. Ensure coastal planning schemes apply the appropriate provisions contained within the Victoria Planning Provisions to protect non-urban areas between settlements for their visual, environmental and biodiversity values. 3. Protect visually significant landscapes, views and vistas in coastal areas through the application of the recommendations of the Coastal Spaces Landscape Assessment Study 2006. 4. Protect non-urban areas for their visual landscape, environmental, agricultural and recreational qualities. 5. Encourage opportunities to restructure old and inappropriate subdivisions to reduce development impacts on the environment. 6. Identify and avoid development in areas susceptible to flooding (both river and coastal inundation), landslip, erosion, coastal acid sulfate soils, bush fire or geotechnical risk. 7. Avoid disturbing coastal acid sulfate soils (CASS) and ensure any development proposed near or on CASS demonstrates that it will avoid any disturbance. 8. Prohibit the development of new residential canal estates to ensure the protection of coastal and estuarine environments. Actions Tambo Bluff Estate – the East Gippsland Shire Council have recently developed a structure plan to address this old and inappropriate sub-division. East Gipsland Shire Council a Review the effectiveness of Victoria's coastal planning and management arrangements and identify and develop improvements (VCC, RCB, DSE). b Review the State Planning Policy Framework (SPPF) in the Victoria Planning Provisions (VPP), to include the coastal policy statements contained in the Victorian Coastal Strategy, 2008 (DPCD, VCC, DSE). c Develop a program to implement the Draft strategy for Coastal Acid Sulfate Soils in Victoria, which: raises awareness of the location, risks and management options for CASS establishes leadership for the implementation ensures best practice in the assessment and identification of CASS risks to guide decision makers (DSE, DPCD, DPI, EPA, LG). d Review coastal planning schemes to determine the need to extend their control into the marine environment for 600 metres to ensure consistency in the area of control along the coast and to improve the integration of catchment and marine planning and management (DPCD, LG, DSE, VCC).

10 December 2008