Hope for the Tootgarook Swamp

This is great news, thanks to everyone involved and working tireless to achieve this outcome.

Dear Friends, Good news, the legal arm of our campaign to Save Tootgarook Swamp has had an important win at VCAT. We have successfully proven that the first of the proposed developments within the swamp was granted an invalid permit by the local council as it was significantly out of date and therefore all works which have occurred on this wetland site have been illegal. Therefore all works have been halted until a new permit is granted. This will enable the community to fight for a better result for this particular site that will either mean less impact on the remaining neighbouring parcels of the Tootgarook Swamp and their inhabitants or best case, no development at all and the land is returned to the public for protection as the swamp that it is. Should no permit be granted the site must be restored back to its wetland state before works destroyed it. With your support we found the motivation to follow this case through and we will fight for the best result for each and every part of the Tootgarook Swamp. No part is too small or too unimportant to give up to development as it is all habitat and the swamp is a whole cohesive unit where all parts play a role in its continued functionality. You should also know that the 2 parties which Council resolved to form to be the voice of the Tootgarook Swamp and it's future are in the works. The Working party, which is all the relevant government bodies like Melbourne Water, DSE etc, has already met twice to discuss strategies for the future protection of the site. The Stakeholder group, which is the community groups, landowners etc, will be formed in February and is currently accepting expressions of interest. This will be the voice of the community for the Tootgarook Swamp and we hope it will be the loudest. Your support indicates that the public demands protection of this very significant and biodiverse site. This wouldn't have been possible without your voice. We have an opportunity now to build on this momentum and bring more people into our movement. Can you take a moment and tell your friends and family about our win on social media? http://www.communityrun.org/petitions/save-protect-and-rezone-tootgarook-swamp-on-the-mornington-peninsula You can also spread the good news by forwarding the email below to your friends or colleagues. jess If you don't want to receive emails from the 'Save, Protect and Rezone Tootgarook Swamp on the Mornington Peninsula.' campaign in the future, please unsubscribe