Wyndham council has admitted it “screwed up” by passing planning
permit amendments for a massive above-ground rubbish tip on Wests Road.
An investigation into the planning history of the council’s refuse
disposal facility found that 2010 and 2012 permit amendments to
increase the height of the tip were not properly advertised, meaning the
council was in breach of the planning and environment acts.
The probe also found that the amendments, to build the tip to 65
metres and 120 metres above ground, were unnecessary because the
original permit did not specify a height.
Only the Environment Protection Authority can regulate the height of landfills. The EPA has granted approval for cells 4A and 4B at the site to be built to 24 metres above ground.
The council has applied to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal to change or cancel the 2010 and 2012 amendments.
Cr Glenn Goodfellow said the VCAT application would rectify the council’s “error of judgment”.
“Council screwed up. Let’s acknowledge that, but we are rectifying that now.”
Cr Shane Bourke said the council should have been up front about
its plans and advised adjoining landowners of the amendments. But he
said the landfill provided the council with a steady income and needed
to be built up. It is expected that the disposal facility will add
$300 million to the council’s capital works budget over the next 10
years.
The council’s admission is a win for residents who have been
protesting against the possibility of the tip reaching more than 100
metres above ground.
Former councillor and Browns Road resident Julian Menegazzo said
residents feared an expansion of the tip would “perpetuate the stigma”
previously attached to Werribee, when Melburnians copped wafts from the
sewage farm while travelling on the Princes Freeway.
At Monday’s council meeting, councillors also resolved to submit
an EPA works approval to extend cell 4C to 24 metres above ground “to
meet ongoing operational requirements”.
Cr Marie Brittan and Cr Bourke said they would not support anything higher than the current height.
CONSULTATION BID
A community reference group will be created to help guide future Wyndham council decisions on the Wests Road tip.
Councillors conceded that in the past the community had not been properly consulted about the facility.
In a report to council, sustainable development director Dean Rochfort said the group would advise council on future decisions and help improve the community’s understanding of how the landfill operated.
The committee will include five residents, an independent chair and four council representatives, including the mayor. The Environment Protection Authority, Metropolitan Waste Management Group and Sustainability Victoria will also be represented.
Western Region Environment Centre director Harry Van Moorst, who submitted a petition urging the creation of a consultation group to workshop ways to keep the landfill below ground, wanted the committee to include an equal number of council and community nominees.
