Preserving the natural features, which provide Bayside residents a quality environment, is an important task for Council. Several programs carried out by Council, often with the assistance of ‘Friends’ groups, aim to preserve and enhance the unique features which make this Municipality special.
These include indigenous heathland, coastal teatree areas, the coastline itself and many heritage buildings. A Coastal Strategy has been developed for what is probably the most precious asset of Bayside, its beach and foreshore.
The Strategy has won an award from the Royal Australian Planning Institute (RAPI) Victorian division for its comprehensive approach to protecting the coastal environment, and from Landcare Victoria for roadside and linear reserve management.
It is intended to use this Strategy as a model for other areas of the Victorian coast. The Strategy divides Bayside’s 17 kilometres of coastline into 11 precincts.
A detailed Management Master Plan for the Hampton Precinct has been completed following extensive public consultation. Work on the Hampton precinct is expected to commence in March 1998. It includes landscaping, plantings and the creation of wetlands. Four more precinct studies are currently underway, with six to be completed over the next two years.
Developing the Strategy in precincts, like much planning in the City, is designed to preserve the unique character and charm of individual areas rather than view the coastline as a homogeneous whole.
For further information contact Stuart Holley, telephone (03) 9599 4444.
