Project Status: Finalising draft

The Borough’s coasts are special places. They’re among our most popular recreational spaces and tourist attractions, while also playing an important environmental role. To ensure our coasts are managed in a way that protects and preserves these features, we’re developing a long-term Coastal and Marine Management Plan for Council managed Marine and Coastal Crown land.

A Coastal and Marine Management Plan (CMMP) Project Steering Committee (PSC) was developed to help guide the document through it's development. The PSC approved a draft of the CMMP that has been compiled with the input of more than 270 consultation respondents. The Plan provides a roadmap for how we’ll use, manage and protect our coastal landscapes, helping to ensure individual developments or changes on the coast are considered strategically and in line with community priorities.

At the December 2024 Ordinary meeting of Council, the CMMP was submitted for adoption, however it was deferred for 3 months to allow the newly elected Councillors more time to be briefed and gain a better understanding of the Plan.

In May 2025, Councillors requested officers make changes to the draft CMMP. These changes were made and provided to Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) for review.

In September 2025, DEECA recommended Council revise the Plan to align with the Marine and Coastal Act 2018 and meet the Coastal and Marine Management Plan Guidelines 2023.

Officers briefed Councillors in February 2026 to gain direction on how to progress the draft CMMP.

Officers are currently making further revisions to the Plan and consulting with DEECA with the intention of reporting back to Council for adoption of the CMMP in mid-2026.

To read the draft CMMP, click on the button below.

Frequently asked questions:

What is the Marine and Coastal Act?

The Marine and Coastal Act 2018 (also known as MACA) was introduced by the Victorian Government in August 2018 to provide a simpler, more integrated and coordinated approach to planning marine and coastal environment.

The new Act does this by:

• enabling protection of the coastline and the ability to address the long-term challenges of climate change, population growth and ageing coastal structures; and
• ensuring that partners work together to achieve the best outcomes for Victoria’s marine and coastal environment.

Why does Council needs its own plan?

Currently, the Borough of Queenscliffe must apply for specific consent with regards to MACA from the Department of Environment, Land, Water & Planning whenever any use, development or works is requested on marine and coastal Crown land.

This includes such well-loved locations as the Point Lonsdale Lighthouse Reserve and Shortland's Bluff, but also includes any marine and coastal Crown land up to 200 metres inland of the high water mark of Victorian coastal waters. In an area surrounded by water, like our Borough, that means a lot.

By preparing our a Coastal Management Plan for Council managed marine and coastal Crown land, Council can streamline the application process on future projects, resulting in faster turnaround times and more regular maintenance and regeneration of our most treasured local sites.

What area does the Coastal and Marine Management Plan cover?

Coastal and Marine Management Plans are required to be developed for specific areas of the coast designated as marine and coastal Crown land. In the Borough Council is the land manager for some but not all marine and coastal Crown land. Other land managers include Parks Victoria, Vic Track (Bellarine Railway), Barwon Water.

The Borough of Queenscliffe Coastal and Marine Management Plan applies specifically to the area marine and coastal Crown land we manage. In developing the plan we are also working with adjacent land manage to identify actions for issues that cross boundaries such as weed management and managing traffic.

2023 Update to the planning area

A recent correction was made to the planning area for the Coastal and Marine Management Plan. This means that two areas of council managed Crown land that were included in the first draft of the plan have now been removed from the plan.

These areas were declared not to be marine and coastal Crown land in 2018, as part of the process to introduce the Marine and Coastal Act. The affected areas are: Victoria Park (King Street), the Queenscliff Tourist Park (Hesse Street), Queenscliff Bowling, Tennis & Croquet Club (Hesse Street) and the vacant site previously occupied by Queenscliff High School (corner of Bellarine Highway and King Street).

The removal of these areas of the land from the planning area was a necessary step as there are provisions within the Marine and Coastal Act 2018 and Marine and Coastal Policy that apply only to land designated as marine and coastal Crown land.

What planning processes are in place for areas of land not in the scope of the Coastal and Marine Management Plan?

The planning for the use and development of land that is not declared marine and coastal Crown land is managed under the Planning and Environment Act 1987 and requirements of the Crown Land (Reserves) Act 1978.

Forward planning for all open space in the Borough is contained in the Open Space Management Plan August 2018, with links to more detailed planning where it exists or is required.