THE good people of the ‘Save the Western Port Woodlands’ group are ecstatic.

The residents of Lang Lang, not so much.

It’s all about the release this week, by the Department of Transport and Planning (DTP) of a draft set of planning controls for the mining and transport of sand for the state’s construction sector from Lang Lang (Shire of Cardinia), Oaklands Junction (City of Hume) and Trafalgar (Shire of Baw Baw).

But, what the Western Port Woodlands people are so pleased about is not so much what's in the consultation reports but what's not in them!

Speaking about the opening of the public consultation period (from October 2 to November 8) on the rules applying to new ‘Strategic Extractive Resource Areas’ in the Lang Lang, Trafalgar and Oaklands Junction area a spokesperson for the Woodlands group, Catherine Watson, said it reflected what the group had been saying all along, that there are other options for sand extraction without impacting the important coastal woodland corridor between Lang Lang and Bass.

“They’re going to keep digging where they are. It’s highly unlikely that we were ever going to be able to stop that but it’s becoming too difficult to clear woodlands areas for new mines,” Ms Watson said.

She said the group would continue to monitor the operations of sand miners in the area from Lang Lang to Bass, and to highlight the value of natural bushland in the area, but she said the group was confident that no new sand mines would be opened up in the area.

Ms Watson went on to encourage the Lang Lang community to take the opportunity to respond to the community consultation process on the Engage Vic website about the draft land use planning controls for the Strategic Extractive Resource Areas around Lang Lang (Cardinia). Consultation opportunities include:

• The Department of Transport and Planning together with Resources Victoria is hosting a public information session about the planning proposals on Tuesday, October 22 at the Lang Lang Memorial Hall, 135 McDonalds Track, Lang Lang. Drop in between between 4pm and 7pm.
• You can also provide feedback on the proposed planning scheme changes for Strategic Extractive Resource Areas near Lang Lang (Shire of Cardina) by completing a survey and/or uploading a submission using the links HERE.

State Government media release

Both local MP Jordan Crugnale and the Western Port Woodlands groups have made statements. Here is the statement from the State Government:

The Allan Labor Government is securing access to critical raw materials to meet growing demand for the new housing, infrastructure and renewable energy projects that Victoria needs, without impacting the areas that are valued by our community.

Victorians can now have their say on new planning controls that will protect sand resources near Lang Lang and Trafalgar in the state’s south east and an existing stone quarry near Oaklands Junction in Melbourne’s north.

“Our community cares deeply about biodiversity and I am pleased that this draft SERA does not include environmentally significant areas, and I encourage everyone to also feedback their priorities around infrastructure needs that will address safety and livability in their local area,” said the Member for Bass Jordan Crugnale.

The Minister for Energy and Resources Lily D’Ambrosio said it was about striking a balance between the impact on local communities and the need to keep the state’s building sector supplied with the raw materials it needed.

“We’re striking the right balance between community expectations, protecting cultural heritage and supporting Victoria’s construction sector with supply of raw materials to continue building our state and creating jobs,” said Minister D’Ambrosio.

Acting Minister for Planning Colin Brooks welcomed the draft controls.

“These strengthened planning controls will ensure Victoria retains access to the vital raw materials needed to keep building new homes, hospitals, schools and infrastructure the state needs,” he said.

The Labor Government is proposing to designate new Strategic Extractive Resource Areas, to protect the significant quarry resources from other development – ensuring the construction sector can continue to access to the sand, rock and gravel it needs to build new homes and infrastructure.

Importantly, they also consider local environmental and cultural heritage values, existing land uses and access to transport networks when identifying these areas, to ensure any potential land use conflicts can be avoided. This gives both communities and industry important clarity about where resources may be developed in the future.

Reflecting the important environmental values of the area, the draft Lang Lang SERA does not include areas of significant biodiversity, such as the Holden Proving Ground, Grantville Conservation Reserve, Gurdies Conservation Reserve which make up the Westernport Woodlands area in the Bass Coast Shire.

Local MP Jordan Crugnale acknowledged the strong community advocacy from many, including local groups like the Save Westernport Woodlands Group and thanked their committee, members and partner organisations for their grit and determination and for working productively alongside and with her over these last few years.

“I know our local community cares deeply about and values biodiversity and I’m pleased that this draft SERA does not include areas of environmental significance” she said.

Jordan Crugnale MP went on to also thank the Lang Lang District Business & Community Group (LLDBCG) who provided a lot of insight into local priorities at a recent roundtable with the Planning Minster, the Executive Director of Earth Resources Chris Webb and Cardinia Shire also in attendance.

“For the Lang Lang community, one of the important outcomes of this roundtable was that this draft SERA consultation process is a critical mechanism to feed into the planning needs of the town that better supports this community, their families, businesses and visitors too.

“Lang Lang is growing and we want to ensure local priority infrastructure needs are considered that will benefit residents today and into the future. That includes for example the need for a bypass to get the trucks out of the main street, pedestrian crossings providing safe access to and linking estates on either side of McDonalds Track, consideration of truck movement times which currently run all day, every day and through the night.”

The LLDBCG spoke to also how important the sand is to the state economy and how their township in return needs to also have a formalised community benefit, where opportunities are actioned, projects realized and future rehabilitation programs visioned.

The Lang Lang community is encouraged to make submissions to the consultation process and share their views, ideas and priorities.

By 2051, Victoria is expected to be home to more than 10 million people, increasing the need for affordable housing, schools, roads and rail, hospitals, and other critical infrastructure.

New quarry supplies need to be brought online in appropriate areas ensures we can continue to provide the materials we need for a growing Victoria. Quarry production in Victoria is growing year-on-year with a 14 per cent increase over three years, reaching an annual production record of 73.6 million tonnes of rock, sand and gravel.

Victoria’s extractive resources industry is a vital part of the state’s economy, representing around $1.3 billion annually at the quarry gate.

To make a submission or complete the feedback form visit, engage.vic.gov.au/sera-langlang-oaklandsjunction-trafalgar

Western Port Woodlands media release

This week we learned that the ‘Open for Sand Business’ sign that has been hanging over the Western Port Woodlands since the 1990s will, figuratively speaking, be removed.

Save Western Port Woodlands applauds Resources Minister Lily D’Ambrosio for heeding our call that Bass Coast’s last functional forest should not be sacrificed to supply sand for Melbourne’s Big Build.

Bass Coast’s woodlands will no longer be considered a priority sand mining area for the state.

It doesn’t mean the closure of sand mines already operating in the woodlands in Bass Coast, but it will make it difficult for companies to get planning permits for new mines or extensions of existing permits.

Instead, sand companies will be encouraged by fast-tracked planning approvals to look towards major sand resources on cleared farmland in Cardinia (around Lang Lang) and Baw Baw (Trafalgar North).

Special thanks to Bass MP Jordan Crugnale, who has advocated for us over the past year to achieve this. Undoing decisions that were made decades ago was never going to be an easy task.

Finally – we have something to show for all our efforts over the past five years, since we first learned that much of the Western Port Woodlands was designated as Extractive Industry Interest Area for sand mining.

The turning point was last year’s Bass Coast Distinctive Areas and Landscapes panel hearing where the Western Port Woodlands were recognised as being of national ecological significance, critical habitat for a range of rare and threatened plants, animals and fungi.

Thanks to our 500-plus supporters, to the Victorian National Parks Association, South Gippsland Conservation Society and other conservation and community groups that rallied behind us and to Bass Coast councillors who have unanimously supported us.

Our work is not done. The Adams Creek Nature Conservation Reserve at the northern end of the woodlands (outside Bass Coast) remains vulnerable. The future of the Holden Proving Ground is still uncertain. We are still seeking an Environmental Significance Overlay over the entire Western Port Woodlands.

But those are battles for another day. For now, we’re celebrating what we’ve achieved together.