During a visit to the town this morning the Minister pledged to “improve heritage values and support environmental restoration” of the reserve.
Inclusion on the Heritage List would protect the former Toc H camp from inappropriate development for the foreseeable future. Today’s commitment should also make it easier for the Borough of Queenscliffe to secure heritage funding, Mr hunt said.
“We listed Broken Hill as the first town on the National Heritage List and if you want to do the same thing here I would take that forward.
“But at the very least you can look at the Lighthouse Reserve and its linkages to Point Nepean, its status in its own right also opens up the National Heritage Funding which comes with National Heritage Listing, so there are two big decisions for you.
“We will work with the Borough of Queenscliffe, local residents and community groups in the design of the project,” Minister Hunt said.
A Borough of Queenscliffe spokesperson said heritage listing was not on the current Council Plan, but was not out of the question.
"Any consideration of heritage listing or nomination of sites would be subject to consideration as per any other item that would come before the community or council," she said.
The commitment forms part of two Green Army election promises for both Point Lonsdale and Queenscliff.
The Point Lonsdale Green Army project will
- Rejuvenate the Swan Bay Ramsar area, remove invasive species and rehabilitate coastal wetlands
- Help protect threatened species habitat including the Hooded Plover and Orange Bellied Parrot
- Improve heritage values and support environmental restoration of the Point Lonsdale Lighthouse Reserve
- Rejuvenate the Swan Bay Ramsar area, remove invasive species and rehabilitate coastal wetlands
- Protect threatened species habitat including the Hooded Plover and Orange Bellied Parrot
- Restore the Queenscliff foreshore area through removal of environmental weeds and invasive species, and replacing with native species
“Green Army teams will work in partnership with the Borough of Queenscliffe to deliver the projects.”
The funding announcement can be viewed at: https://vimeo.com/165977654