Bass Coast Shire Council is taking action in areas where private landowners have taken over parts of Council-managed foreshore or bushland reserves.

The Bass Coast Shire Council Encroachment into Foreshore and Bushland Reserves: A Procedure for Action 2011 (PDF 878kb) was adopted by Council on Wednesday 15 June 2011 and sets out an ongoing program of education and works to address 'encroachment'.

Encroachment into a reserve includes extending lawns, unauthorised planting, creating informal access tracks, erecting buildings or storing items in public reserves.

Areas that have already been identified as "hot spots" for encroachment include foreshore and bushland reserves in Cowes, Silverleaves, Ventnor, Grantville and Coronet Bay.

Council is committed to protecting our unique environment and reclaiming public land for the community and to conserve indigenous vegetation. This land belongs to the public and should not be utilized for exclusive private use.

Communication to property owners and works to address encroachment will begin in July 2011. This includes providing information to property owners on the natural values of reserves, planting indigenous plants on lawn extensions, removing unauthorised plants, buildings and stored items and closing informal access tracks.

Council encourages any private landowner who has encroached onto a reserve to contact Council for advice and stop mowing or planting and remove any personal items or buildings from these areas.

Council is calling on the community to report any known cases of encroachment. This information will be used to develop a register of sites.

For more information please contact Council's Coast & Bushland Coordinator, Derek Hibbert on 1300 BCOAST (226 278).