|
|
| A0020791U Victoria |
| The group was founded, as the Sorrento-Portsea-Blairgowrie
Conservation
Group, by seven people to fight the original proposal for a marina at
Sorrento.
At a public meeting on 24th October 1973, the Group was formally
established
and grew rapidly. With the help of many others, the marina proposal,
and
later proposals, were successfully defeated. The Group soon widened its
efforts to include scrutiny of other developments that would adversely
affect the character and amenities of Collins Riding (an electoral
sub-division
of the former Shire of Fliinders), and to foster the conservation of
valuable
features of the local environment. One notable example was the
retention
of the Collins
Settlement Site at Sorrento. The Group changed its name at its
Annual
General Meeting, on 19th February 2000, to Nepean Conservation Group
Inc.
The Group is not a confrontational body, although there have been some stern battles conducted by publicity and by submissions to independent Inquiries, and a close relationship with the Mornington Peninsula Shire Council has been developed. Proposals are often discussed with councillors and Council officers, and modifications accepted, before they are put to the final vote. Developers have also agreed in this way to modifications. The Group has also submitted papers putting forward suggested policies for such things as roadside vegetation. The Group has organized working bees to clear weeds and plant native vegetation. The Group now has about 500 members, but as the number of members rises, so does the threat to the environment from the growing number of visitors and permanent residents on the Mornington Peninsula. The Group has been a long-standing Member Organization of Port Phillip Conservation Council Inc., and it has two representatives on that Council. |
| ********************* |
