MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire councillors have voted unanimously in favour of requesting the state government’s approval of reduced interim landslide planning controls, bringing the total number of affected properties down from 33,000 to 6,000.
At the 11 August council meeting, councillors confirmed they will write to Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny and request fast-tracked approval of the proposed amendments to the Interim Erosion Management Overlay (EMO7).
This comes after months of community concern following the introduction of the interim overlay in January (Minister approves interim landslide overlay despite errors, The News 13/01/26).
Cr Max Patton, who moved the motion, said this update accurately reflects landslide risk.
“I want to be clear about the 6000 that remain, the EMO stays on those properties because there is a risk on those properties that is worth managing through a planning permit process, which is the whole purpose of a control such as this,” said Patton.
Patton said this is and always has been a planned refinement of the mapping.
“In October last year, this council endorsed the three stage approach,” said Patton.
“Stage one was the interim controls we adopted in November, and the minister approved in January, and this is stage two, exactly as it was set out to us.”
He said stage three is a comprehensive shire-wide study, with work beginning this month.
Patton said community engagement isn’t scheduled to take place as part of this recommendation, but it will be a part of stage three.
“I just want to say tonight that there are still a number of McCrae residents who have not been able to go home and that is the reason we’re treating this with the urgency we are and it is the reason that the properties that genuinely carry risk stay in the overlay,” said Patton.
Cr Paul Pingiaro said this isn’t about walking away from recommendations from the board of inquiry, but about implementing them.
“Good planning should protect people from genuine risk without imposing unnecessary costs, delay, and uncertainty on thousands of property owners,” said Pingiaro.
Cr David Gill also noted the approximately 360 properties that have been included, which weren’t previously noted.
“We need to get on with this now,” said Gill.
“It’s been delayed long enough; we need to protect our community and those people who affected by landslip.”
Council will now formally write to the Planning Minister, requesting a fast-tracked approval of the proposed amendment.
First published in the Mornington News – 18 August 2026
