Princetown residents concerned about limited access to Gellibrand river due to works on Montarosa

The stage one public infrastructure works for boutique accommodation development Montarosa include demolishing the Old Coach Road bridge, which is nearing its end-of-life, and the construction of a new bridge which would deliver two-way vehicle and pedestrian access.

Doing so would require the establishment of a construction compound adjoining the works area which would restrict public access to the river through the boat ramp and car park.

Matt Bowker, who runs the Kangaroobie school camp at Princetown, said the "unreasonable" works had prompted anger from nearby communities.

"The blocking of the car park area for a works depot closes the only public boat ramp access to the river for any boat traffic and also shuts the only fully-accessible estuarine fishing platform from Apollo Bay to Warrnambool," he said.

"It effectively shuts the entire Gellibrand River to all boat traffic for an entire year. For a private developer to be able to bring this about would seem to be completely unreasonable.

"The fishing platform area is the safest and most accessible place to access the river for swimming for anyone with mobility issues or parents/grandparents watching children.

"It is estimated that the fishing platform and picnic area is currently used by in excess of 10,000 visitors a year."

He said the "main issue" he had with the works was the length of time of the proposed closure.

"If it were for one or two months, the local community could deal with that," Mr Bowker said.

"The closure would appear to be for convenience reasons and that is not reason enough to disrupt the local community and visitors for so long.

"If the area needs to be closed on occasion for safety reasons, then that would be perfectly acceptable, but after hours and on weekends, there is no reason to have that area closed off."

In a letter addressed to Corangamite Shire representatives seen by The Standard, the Princetown Recreation Reserve Committee endorsed Mr Bowker's concerns, stating "if the Corangamite Shire wishes to allay these community fears, and more, an urgent meeting is required to provided detail and assurance".

Princetown Eco Stay director Gavin Ronan apologised for the inconvenience but said there was "no alternative" to limiting access to the river due to it being for "safety and environmental reasons".

"The Old Coach Road Bridge is at the end of its useful life and needs to be replaced," he said.

"This is a complex project that will cause some inconvenience to people who use the car park and boat ramp at Princetown. We apologise for the inconvenience, but there is simply no other way to do the works.

"For safety and environmental reasons, there is no alternative than to have a construction site compound on the west bank of the Gellibrand River.

"This was confirmed in 2019 when council approved the construction management plan following two weeks of public consultation. The site of the construction compound and its purpose has not changed in subsequent construction management plan revisions.

"If council was delivering this needed public bridge replacement, the same construction site compound would be required.

"In accordance with occupational health and safety requirements, as well as strict environmental controls reviewed by the state government, council and statutory authorities, the construction site compound will not be open to public access.

"Members of the public will still be able to walk around the compound to access the Great Ocean Walk and south end of the jetty on the western bank of the Gellibrand River.

"Environmental controls, including measures to protect fauna and flora, and the Gellibrand River, are comprehensive.

"These controls are detailed in the construction management plan and have been subjected to an exhaustive, months-long review by the Department of Energy, Environment & Climate Action, council, the Corangamite Catchment Management Authority, ecologists and relevant authorities."

Corangamite Shire Council manager of planning and building services Aaron Moyne clarified the organisation had no direct involvement in the public infrastructure works - which is being delivered through funding from the state and Commonwealth governments - aside from reviewing management plans and planning and road management approvals.

Recognising "the impact and concern the closure of boat access (would) cause", Mr Moyne said the council was working with DEECA, Parks Victoria and the CCMA on alternate temporary access options, but access would remain in some capacity.

He confirmed all works had been approved by the council which continued to monitor the works and permit compliance and the organisation was inspecting the site on a weekly basis.

"A temporary floating bridge will be installed directly north of the existing bridge," Mr Moyne said.

"It will be used for vehicle and pedestrian access while the old bridge is demolished and a new one installed. Access-ways to the temporary bridge have been constructed and it will be fixed in-river before the end of March.

"Bridge works can only occur during January to March and July to September to manage environmental impacts on fish species.

"All works associated with Old Coach Road upgrade and widening and the bridgeworks will occur within construction management plans which have been approved by council, in conjunction with DEECA and CCMA. CCMA have also issued works in waterway approval for these works."