Mornington Harbour is in need of protection as it is unsafe in North and Northwest winds. Our aim is to achieve a safe, all weather, multi-use community harbour in South Eastern Port Phillip.
Show your support for a Safe Harbour at Mornington.

The Facts

Facts relating to the Mornington Safe Harbour project can be found in this information document.

The Benefits

For more than 20 years the Mornington harbour has been designated as a safe harbour by numerous Government departments and bodies. However, it remains unsafe in times of northerly weather. A safe harbour will be an asset for the whole community, with benefits for all users.

As the Mornington community continues to grow, the demand for safer harbour facilities increases. The plans for the safe harbour project have been in development for many years. They represent the hard and dedicated work of many local people invested in securing the best outcomes for harbour and beach users, and the local community.

The Proposal

The Mornington Safe Harbour project is focused on improving infrastructure in the harbour area while maintaining the asethics and history that make Mornington so popular. Features of the Mornington Safe Harbour project include:

• A harbour wavescreen, which also functions as a public jetty, providing wave protection of the harbour and public boat ramp
• Reconstruction and extension of the pier
• Increased provision of emergency, public and commercial berths

Overall, these features will result in a safer and more functional harbour. For more information on all aspects of the Mornington Safe Harbour proposal, view the full planning application here: http://www.mornpen.vic.gov.au/Page/page.asp?Page_Id=874&h=0

For more than 20 years the Mornington harbour has been designated as a safe harbour by numerous government departments and bodies. However, it remains unsafe in times of northerly weather, as seen in a number of recent storm events that caused great damage throughout the harbour.

The Mornington Safe Harbour aims to be:

• environmentally sensitive to water flow and quality in surrounding beaches
• aesthetically sympathetic to the local environment
• located within the current harbour
• similar in size to the present mooring footprint.

The safe harbour upgrade will benefit the entire Mornington community. Making the Mornington Harbour safe will increase the possibilities for use of the harbour and ensure an asset is established and maintained for the benefit of the whole community.

• At present, the Mornington harbour is unsafe in west through to north-east winds
• The boating public requires access to a safe harbour in times of changing weather. This includes locals, visitors and water based emergency services.
• The safe harbour has the potential to increase visitation and provide flow on benefits for tourism and business operators by encouraging visitors to Mornington all year round.

As the Mornington community continues to grow the demand for safe harbour facilities increases. The plans for a safe harbour upgrade have been in development for many years. They represent the hard and dedicated work of many local people invested in securing the best outcomes for harbour and beach users, and the local community.

The proposal for a safe harbour at Mornington fits within the Victorian government’s recently launched Bays and Maritime Initiative. This program, which is being facilitated and managed by Parks Victoria, is aimed at supporting and improving a number of maritime precincts, including Mornington, Hastings, Portarlington and Queenscliff.  Refer to http://www.parkweb.vic.gov.au/3bmi.cfm.
 
A safe harbour at Mornington also meets the needs of a number of other government policies and initiatives. For example, Melbourne 2030 designates Mornington as a major activity centre (MAC). Upgrading harbour and beach facilities will have many positive economic and tourist based benefits that will capitalise on Mornington’s current popularity with locals, visitors and businesses.

Environmental Effects

In November 2004, representation was made to the Victorian Minister for Planning to determine the level of environmental assessment that would be required for the Mornington Safe Harbour proposal. In August 2005, the Minister for Planning determined that the proposed Safe Harbour project required an Environmental Effects Statement (EES). The Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) issued the EES Assessment Guidelines in May 2006. 

The Environmental Effects Statement has now been completed. The assessment indicates that the safe harbour will not impact on water quality, that the safe harbour will integrate within the visual setting and that there will be no adverse impacts on Indigenous or non-Indigenous cultural heritage. The full EES assessment, and the complete planning proposal, can be viewed at -: http://www.mornpen.vic.gov.au/Page/Page.asp?Page_Id=151&p=1.

What happens next?

The plans, detailed proposal and EES for the Mornington Safe Harbour will be on public display from 20 May 2010. Anyone who is interested in the future of Mornington has the opportunity to view the plans and provide feedback, suggestions and support for the proposal. All feedback and comments will be considered by the planning review panel.

Mornington Boat Haven Limited (MBHL) encourages anyone supporting the Mornington Safe Harbour project to make a submission. The views of the community are of great importance in planning decisions and MBHL wants the Mornington Safe Harbour to be an asset that the whole community is proud of.

Submissions should be forwarded to:
  Planning Panels Victoria
  Level 1
  8 Nicholson Street
  East Melbourne 3002

All submissions must provide the name and postal address of the submitter. Any submissions that fail to include these details will not be considered. Copies of all submissions received will be forwarded to the Department of Planning and Community Development (DPCD) and the Mornington Peninsula Shire Council (MPSC).

All submissions will be treated as public documents and will be made available for inspection by any person, by appointment, at MPSC or at Planning Panels Victoria.

Mornington Boat Haven Limited is committed to supporting the Mornington Safe Harbour project in a manner that is open, transparent and truthful and focused on the best interests of the entire Mornington community.

The Mornington Boat Haven Limited is a not-for-profit group that has been established to investigate, develop and ultimately manage the Mornington Safe Harbour project for the benefit of the Mornington community. More information about MBHL is available here