Join the Bells Beach conversation and have your say
The Bells Beach Community Visioning Taskforce is halfway through an extensive online consultation forum at http://www.oursay.org/surfcoast/bells and anyone interested in the reserve’s future is encouraged to get involved. The forum, which will run until Thursday 27 March, provides a point for people to raise their visions for the Bells Beach reserve, to raise major issues affecting the reserve and vote on ideas.
The Taskforce will discuss and respond to top ideas raised in the online consultation at a public forum on Monday 31 March. The forum will be a public event, with details to be announced on the OurSay Forum and the Surf Coast Shire website next week.
Taskforce Chair John Thwaites said it was important a broad range of views was raised and discussed in the online forum. "There will be a second stage of consultation once the Taskforce has analysed information from the online forum and other submissions. It is important that people with views come forward and get involved in this process so the Taskforce is able to provide advice to the Surf Coast Shire Council on a proposed vision for the reserve," Mr Thwaites said.
“This will also assist Council with its new Coastal Management Plan in 2015, which is required under state government legislation. I would encourage anyone with a passion for Bells who hasn't logged on yet to get online and put forward their ideas," Mr Thwaites said.
Written submissions can also be lodged by post to Talking Bells, C-/ Surf Coast Shire Council, PO Box 350, Torquay, 3228 before Monday 24 March.
For more information, visit http://www.oursay.org/surfcoast/bells.
Stage two will commence in April, with more details to be announced shortly.
Comments
If you've been there and have something to say please take the time ... generally i think you'll find that others will have already voiced your concerns , so you can vote for your favourites whihc will help and make it easy for the time poor .
Why do we think we need a committee to look in the future. It is us that use the beach so it is us that ruin the beach,but we like to blame everybody else.wake up and smell the coffee. Eg: When your in a traffic jam,you blame everybody else for the problem when really, YOU are the problem.
jordan, the greatest use of bells beach is not surfers its tour buses. A strategic plan for bells is needed because if you had 2 clues you would know the place is under a lot of stress. surfers need a voice because they are the ones that made the place what it is and the local shire a pack of muppets.
If the place is under a lot of stress best you don't go there, by doing this you are playing your part in looking after the area. Once again it sounds like everybody else is the problem not YOU, in your car. And surfers didn't make bells what it is today you fool,it's part of the Australian coast line and has been for hundreds of thousands of years ,is always changing and always will. Get back on your training wheels sucker.
Jordan, you are indeed an uneducated keyboard warrior, I dont live in the area so go blow a goat you piss weak kook. I would guess you are about 10 years old with half a pube glued onto your piss flaps by the way you write your posts. FYI the first time I did visit Bells beach I rode my fuckin skateboard there and bombed all the hills carrying my board and pack and enough supplies for several days. The second time I walked in from Torquay. Crawl back under your rock and shut the fuck up you stain.
We'll well, just because I have a different view or opinion than yours I am now a kook and have piss flaps. YOU are the ledgened, only if we could all be like you! just the way the surf industry would like it.buying,doing and being all the same so they can fill their bank accounts with more money.
Jordan,Ist and foremost Bells is probably one of the most recognized surf beaches in the world.
It was made a recreational surf reserve in 1971...there was only surfers then...and was made a Resrve in recognition of what a special place it was for surfers...
now the Torquay area is up for nearly a 1000% increase in the next 20 years .....and developers/SCS want Bells to accommodate more bus tourists ,build a tourist hub and reduce the car parks for surfers...
what we are trying to do is have self regulating carparks,no buses and more surf tourists who actually contribute to the local economy,whereas the busCo' contribute to Melb...
all personalities aside...Bells really needs surfers to vote for what Bells Beach PreservationSociety has posted..... a legislated Surf Sanctuary that protects Bells forever,and that Bells was/is the Worlds First Recreational Surfing reserve,and that surfers are the priority stakeholders...
At present our Council has been trying to find a way to develop Bells for bus tourists at the expense of the surfers!
Our Council is now recognizing all users as stakeholders,so they now have commercial bus Co's,hangliders etc all now part of a visioning process.....and the recreational surf groups were left out like SANE and surfrider...
so please show Bells the respect she deserves and make your 7 votes count......and any questions on Bells ...bring it on!!
100% behind Brutus on this one. Surfing facilties must come first at Bells. The buses can park way back, and let the visitors walk in,. Its a really nice walk in from either direction anyhoW.
VOTE .
Maybe im a bit naive but i thought the whole bells reserve is perfect as it is, its got everything you want or need, plenty of carpark space, well built paths/stairs, viewing areas, to me its a great example of how other areas of coast should be managed ,preserved and protected but still practical in that people can still use and enjoy the area, and they want to change this? Last time i was there during winter i thought there was plenty of carpark areas for buses?
Anyway i did my voting :D
Hi Indo-d......there have been plans by SCS to build a tourist hub at Winki,reduce surfer car parks by 40%,let hangliders build a ramp at Winki,and run a commercial business.....
we just want the current infrastructure to be upgraded....and Bells recognized as the Worlds first Surfing reserve...and to upgrade the protection for Bells to Surf sanctuary status,with more legislated protection .......
whenever there is surf the car parks are full.....and with a planned extra 100K rsidents being planned for the Torquay area......the developors are circling Bells....and now say Bells is for ALL users.........
Brutus knows his shit, get behind what he is saying before it is overrun and every tom dick and harry claim it for the next commercial big idea. The shire are clowns, Torquay is already full to the brim with muppets, if you want to see the shires priorities look no further than that shit house golf course building.
Cheers...Crazy...Anyway i voted for the comments to stop this kind of thing.
The fact that they're even consulting "the community" about bells suggests to me that some sort of development will happen wether we like it or not. the folk who really love the place ,inc myself, dont want warm showers, cappa frigin chinos or a shelter in which to get changed in. toilets are obviously a must so people dont shit in the bushes. who would benefit from any changes made to the beautiful place anyway? a few tour companys maybe...
jeez i hope we can stop, and not just slow any development there.
Brutus, let us know what we can do, if anything.voting on a website feels a bit fruitless.. organise a protest day or something. kinda feel pretty helpless really.
Hi greyhound
the 3 groups that have really been fighting for Bells and have so far stopped a Tourist Hub being built at Bells,are BBPS,SANE and Surfrider...we were all banned from the community visioning process...called the task force,as we have created so much angst to SCS.
We need as many votes and commnets as possible to show that surfers care about Bells and that we will fight for Bells to be recognized as the Worlds First recreational Surfing reserve,and that surfers are the priority stakeholders.
the 3 groups will be presenting basic submissions on the 31st of March to te live task Force meeting...and we need to demonstrate that surfers care about Bells.....
we need votes and comments on the Forum...so get all ya friends ...you have 7 votes.....back us so we can get in there and show these politicians.....don't mess with Bells or the Surfers.....Bells is OUR scared surf beach and we are proud of the surfing Visionaries who first tried to protect Bells ....but now we need to show respect and get Bells a legislated Surf Sanctuary...so the pollies can piss off and leave Bells alone!!
What? A hang glider ramp at Winki?
Added an 'idea' to vote on for Bells Beach before which was super idealistic and in hindsight potentially super destructive! Truly the ONLY 'developments' going on there should be re-vegetation programs, shifting the car parks permanently over the road and removing the high number of ugly signs.
Wesley...yeah we found out that there is a rep from the hangliding asoc on the task Force and that there are plans to build a launching ramp for hangliders right through the middle of the Winki heathland ,which according to SANE is one of the most bio-diverse areas on the coast.
then we found out they have a license to run a commercial business from Winki ,in charging people to fly......like at Southside...
there are so many business's etc lining up to use Bells.....and our council is facilitating more commercial users.......to the detriment of the surfers use and to the environment...
I voted for parents to stop teaching their kids how to surf, surfing is for dimwits, no hopers and people that are full of salt water...! Its really bad for you kiddies, take heed please.