‘Lives at risk’: Catriona Rowntree campaigns against battery farm at Little River
TV star Catriona Rowntree has called on Jacinta Allan to speak up over plans for a lithium battery farm that she says will destroy Little River, saying the project is dangerous and she has no choice but to fight.
Victoria
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Catriona Rowntree has stepped into a different kind of spotlight to the one she’s used to on television.
The star of Getaway and Country House Hunters is taking centre stage for a more personal cause. She is seeing red over what she calls secretive plans by the government to destroy Little River – building a massive renewable energy battery project on 770ha at the base of the You Yangs Regional Park, just outside Geelong, and next to her farm.
“If you love where you live you have to learn for fight for it,” Rowntree said.
“In our family, it’s all consuming. It’s on our fenceline and it will change farming and put lives at risk. Toxic chemicals will run straight into our lake.
“I wish this wasn’t happening but it’s real life. A lady wrote to me that you’re playing with fire getting involved with politics and to bury my head in the sand.
“I don’t know what choice I have. I’m a proud community member championing my community.”
The issue centres around ACEnergy acquiring the land in 2023 to build the Little River Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), with the development application being considered by the Victorian Department of Transport and Planning.
The 350MW/700MWh lithium battery farm would be one of the state’s largest if it goes ahead and “support Victoria’s clean energy transition”.
Rowntree says she has repeatedly contacted Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny but to no avail.
“We are concerned about the tactics that the BESS operator (ACEnergy) is using at present, canvassing people in the community to participate in a ‘community benefits group’ which among other things will discuss how $1.5m should be “shared?”
“What is this all about as it appears to be an attempt to buy support for the project without ensuring that people understand what is involved?
“We have gone through the required submission process and documented the potential risks and impacts of this project. The time frame given to us by the Department of Transport and Planning on behalf of the minister to formally lodge our objections was extremely short, and despite a request for a general community meeting to provide an open discussion about the project, this was not agreed to.
“We have not yet received a formal response to our submissions and objections, yet representatives of the company concerned are trawling the community to try to buy support without even ensuring that those who they target understand the details of what the project is all about. This might be considered corrupt practice. It certainly wouldn’t pass the pub test. Priority No.1 is a response from the minister to our submissions and objections.”
Rowntree describes the situation as the dodgiest deal ever.
She says Premier Jacinta Allan needs to step in to save the area, including Mt Rothwell, or it will be rendered a dangerous fire zone.
“It’s a disgusting situation created by these politicians and since I’ve shouted about it I’ve been contacted by other regions,” she said.
“There are plenty of nearby options that are safer. There are so many people in that planning department and we are going to put lithium in a fire zone. Jacinta Allan, please speak up and get a backbone.
“In 2021 Daniel Andrews gave $191.5m to support filming in Victoria. The No.1 region for that and they want to cover it in solar panels. That’s our taxpayer money.
“The Mad Max movie, The Dressmaker, Ned Kelly, they’ve all been filmed in the area.
“We are all for renewables but this is so wildly inappropriate and how can it take a department seven months to get back? We would love to find out so we can sleep at night.”
Since speaking up last year, Rowntree has been inundated with support. She said she felt like her community was “always fighting” something.
“We’ve had the detention centre, the freight terminal, the incinerator, it’s just relentless,” she said.
She added: “Don’t be fooled, no one is getting lower energy prices. They tax the land, it’s a complete fallacy. We all want green energy, it’s a good idea and a bad location.”
She said she didn’t want to have to keep fighting.
“We’re wool growers and I’ve helped create the best selling range for (fashion brand) Blue Illusion which is in jeopardy as well,” she said.
“It’s causing so much stress to families, it’s just wrong and not safe. When you see the rhetoric it’s all a pack of lies.
“In one sense I’m embarrassed because I’m a great believer in promoting Victoria. I love flying the flag for where we live. I’ve been with my husband James here since 2020 — it’s a lovely community and we don’t want this destroying our home.”
Originally published as ‘Lives at risk’: Catriona Rowntree campaigns against battery farm at Little River
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