Draft 9/10/10
Vision – to be developed over time
- adapt from BPSP (see over) and Open Space Forum
- nest within regional vision?
Objectives
Relationship to
natural
environment


(Get from Jon Duthie’s talk)


Food production
Actions (from Open Space Forum)
Dot point means under consideration
Bold means a current focus

Regular food swap meet at the Community Garden
Compile a list of local producers and suppliers - support local
purchasing – 100 mile meals/events
Workshops on topics such as preserving, pruning fruit trees,
composting, nutrition and how to cook with dried goods (eg.
beans and pulses).
(Also suggested: Conduct local food tours of the region; Support slow food
movement in local cafes and by local producers; Build bartering networks;
Develop ideas for marketing local produce in new ways; Farmers market)
Public Transport
Establish a shuttle bus between Barwon Heads and Ocean Grove
Encourage walking and ensure safety
Reduce speed limits
Establish car pooling systems
Develop an integrated public transport plan for Barwon Heads and the
surrounding regions
Establish integrated bike paths; well signed and safe
Improve road safety for bikes

Resources/
Waste

Energy
Become a plastic bag free town
Establish resource sharing; Set up a local resource utilization facebook / webpage
to help share resources; Establish information, tools and resources sharing and
exchange - in person, online; Set up a “LETS” barter scheme
Use and promote “Free-cycle” (a free version of E-Bay).
Provide community education about recycling
Develop uses for excess building materials
Develop community knowledge about solar electricity technical info / rebates / buyback info.
Instigate bulk buy opportunities – eg solar, green power
Promote legislation for the inclusion of solar or alternative "co-generation" of
power to run homes and businesses
Legislate the inclusion of 10 000 litre water tanks or roof water harvesting storage
options.
Establish integrated bike paths; well signed and safe
Community/
Lifestyle
Hold ‘events’ – great way to generate interest, make connections and have fun
Learn from others about eg energy, gardens, food, housing design, environmental
issues, planning issues
Develop links with other groups – sport clubs, Primary School
Develop links between the local school and local sustainability activities – eg
kitchen garden
community
Improve
road linked
safetytofor
bikes arts garden
Develop a community charter
Develop a community culture – e.g. the culture of using human powered transport
Develop effective lobbying power
Community use of community facilities
Built
Environment

Regional Links

Maintain links with other sustainability and transition town
groups for common actions
Link into regional structures as they develop – for vision,
energy descent action plans
Draft 9/10/10
Barwon Heads Vision
A vision for the township of Barwon Heads was developed during the preparation of the
Bellarine Peninsula Strategic Plan 2006-2016 (BPSP), as follows:
“In the year 2016 Barwon Heads will be a unique, sustainable, residential and
environmental hub; a landlocked community surrounded by pristine river, coast and
wetlands. An intimate community which supports all age groups and provides a place
of belonging for residents and visitors alike; where human impact is managed to
support the fragile natural surroundings by:

Clearly defined limitations on urban development

Protecting and nurturing natural surroundings by managing human footprint

Supporting walking, cycling, fishing, sailing, surfing, swimming and generally
enjoying what our coastal village has to offer in an environmentally sensitive
way”.
The Barwon Heads Urban Design Framework 2003 (UDF) also included a vision for the
township, which summarised the community’s aspirations for the future of the township and
helped to canvass exactly what the urban design framework should achieve:
“A place that is defined by the natural landscape features that surround it – the
Bellarine Peninsula’s ‘island’ community.
A town of diverse character where development is largely nestled into the coastal
vegetation, or if development is not tucked away, it is honestly expressed and well
designed.
A place where the informal qualities are retained, because it is these elements that
give the town its special character, and where the interface of the town with the
ocean, wetlands, river and rural land demonstrates an environmental sensitivity.
A township where people can walk safely, and experience a strong sense of
nearness to the water through buildings and vegetation that highlight the coastal
environment and unique landforms.
A place where a diverse and environmentally aware community want to live and visit”.
For Barwon Heads to achieve the visions established in the UDF and BPSP a shift to
progressive, environmentally aware behaviour and actions is required from the community
and its visitors. The topography and layout of the town provides tremendous opportunities for
Barwon Heads to become a town which operates as a ‘sustainable village’, where protection
of the sensitive environmental features and walking and cycling are parts of everyday life.
People are attracted to the town for its sensitive landscape, its river and coastal setting and
scenic pedestrian environment, which are important features that need to be protected, to
ensure that the very essence of the town’s attractiveness is not lost.
Role of the Township
Barwon Heads has many different roles, however its two main roles are as a commuter
residential area for Geelong and the other as a holiday destination. The town is not identified
as a growth location within Council’s Urban Growth or Rural Residential strategies, for
conventional or rural residential development, nor as a location for extensive commercial or
industrial activity.
The sensitive coastal, environmental and rural setting of the township, and associated State
and Local Planning Policies, preclude extensive township growth, while local services and
facilities are generally limited to those which provide for daily needs and requirements, with a
limited range of tourist and visitor related amenities.
(from Barwon Heads Structure Plan, 2007, City of Greater Geelong)