4.1 Urban coast Context The urban coastline has enormous social, cultural and environmental values for the local community and visitors. However, it is significantly different to many other coastal areas in Victoria. The urban coastline has been extensively developed, experiences intensive levels of demand and use and has been highly modified in many areas. Some coastal settlements' foreshores also exhibit these characteristics. The urban coastline around metropolitan Melbourne, Geelong and the Mornington and Bellarine Peninsulas are dynamic coastal environments with diverse local economies, valued highly by residents and the many visitors who come to enjoy them. The urban coast offers a unique experience of city life on the bay, and performs important functions as community open space, a social and cultural gathering place along with the conventional role of city and suburban beach. In these areas the foreshore and water also provide a sense of identity and place for those people and communities who live near or regularly visit their coast. Increasingly, the coast is important for recreation as residential densities in established urban coastal areas continue to grow. In some municipalities coastal Crown land may be the only substantial open space available for community use. The challenges presented by urban coastal growth are complex, compounded by the increasing threats of climate change. Urban coastal development presents challenges associated with respecting existing neighbourhood character and retaining visually significant landscapes, views and vistas, as well as servicing issues relating to water supply, waste disposal, storm water discharge and sewage treatment. Along the urban coastline, there is significant interaction between the coastal Crown land and the adjacent urban area. This area is highly valued by local communities for its recreational, cultural and historic values. Activities within these areas require sensitive and orderly planning and management with regard to the expectations of the community to achieve improved outcomes. Melbourne 2030: planning for sustainable growth is the government's principal strategy for managing the growth of Melbourne into the future. Melbourne 2030 defines a network of multi-functional activity centres that are focal points for communities and provide for services, employment and social interaction. The activity centres defined in Melbourne 2030 situated in coastal locations are also activity nodes under the Victorian Coastal Strategy. These activity centres will continue to be the focus of further intensification of activity and development. These activity centres include Frankston, Williamstown and Mornington. Figure 1 illustrates the location of the Melbourne 2030 activity centres around Port Phillip and Western Port Bays. Smaller neighbourhood activity centres can also be defined within local planning schemes. Melbourne 2030 also directs significant urban growth to the south-eastern and Wyndham growth corridors which will result in an increase in development, visitation and activity in these coastal areas, and notably the introduction of significant population into the Western Port region. The anticipated increase in development and activity and population and visitor numbers in activity centres and growth corridors requires ongoing planning and management to maintain the special values of the coastal environment, while providing improved access to areas best able to sustain increased use. Geelong foreshore CA/CC snapshots CA/CC snapshots Policy 1. Improve the environmental health of the bays and their catchments by reducing major environmental impacts associated with urban growth and development within the coastal hinterland and catchments by: · requiring coastal urban planning and management to be consistent with the Victorian Coastal Strategy 2008, regional catchment strategies and the objectives of Melbourne 2030 · requiring activity centre and growth area planning and management to protect significant natural coastal assets · continually monitoring and improving the quality of stormwater entering waterways · coordinating waterway management arrangements for the catchments · ensuring land-use change and development comprehensively integrates environmental protection as part of the development approvals process · addressing the quality and quantity of storm water discharge to the bays and estuaries. 2. Ensure the protection and enhancement of the coastal and foreshore environments and the character of urban coastal areas. 3. Support landscape assessment studies to map and protect non-urban areas of landscape significance using the methodology employed as part of the Coastal Spaces Landscape Assessment Study 2006. 4. Pursue opportunities to integrate coastal objectives with activity centre structure planning and implementation under Melbourne 2030. 5. Promote the incorporation of ecological sustainable design techniques in developments, such as energy and materials efficiency and water sensitive urban design. 6. Seek co-location of car parking and other opportunities for shared use within activity centres to support activity nodes on the coast. St Kilda foreshore City of Port Phillip ACTIONS a. Develop Green Wedge Management Plans to manage non urban use and development in identified areas (LG, DPCD). b. Incorporate the findings of landscape and neighbourhood character assessments into planning schemes in urban coastal areas experiencing development pressures (LG, DPCD).

10 December 2008