Lara incinerator: Kilkenny says no to authority shift as Marles slams plant
The Planning Minister has refused to pass the authority to decide over the Lara waste incinerator to the council, it can be revealed.
Geelong
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The Planning Minister who has been sitting on the Lara waste incinerator proposal for years has pushed back on a request to transfer decision-making authority to the council.
The revelation comes after Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles once again slammed the proposed incinerator at a press conference on Monday, saying it had “no place” in Lara.
In a written response to Geelong mayor Stretch Kontelj, obtained by the Geelong Advertiser, Sonya Kilkenny said the state government had no plans to change the responsible authority for energy generation facilities.
“The government chose to centralise decision making for energy generation facilities to ensure that consideration for these facilities is consistent throughout Victoria,” she said in the letter.
The facility, planned by Prospect Hill International, aims to process 400,000 tonnes of waste annually, generating 35 megawatts of electricity.
The proposal has attracted widespread opposition from the community, businesses, state and federal MPs and members of the opposition.
Concerns include its proximity to homes – just 350m away – potential health risks, environmental impact, and the towering 80m-tall chimney altering the region’s skyline.
The Environment Protection Authority granted a development licence in December 2023, but this decision is under appeal.
Mr Kontelj wrote to the minister in February after the council decided to do so at its meeting a month earlier.
“As the level of government closest to the community, (the) council believes the City is best placed to be the planning authority for matters such as these,” Mr Kontelj said in the letter.
“I respectfully request you … to enable the City to be the responsible authority for any future waste to energy proposal.”
Speaking at a press conference in Geelong, member for Corio Richard Marles, a long time opponent of the project, questioned the location of the proposed incinerator.
Mr Marles said he was “advocating that this be stopped”.
“This is not the appropriate place to have an incinerator, and I’m not making a judgement about the technology, I’m just making a judgement about the location,” he said.
“In my view, this should be brought to an end, and the sooner that happens, the better it is.”
The Victorian Government refused to weigh in on Mr Marles’ comments.
“Any proposal will be considered on its merits and all submissions will be considered as part of the assessment process,” a spokeswoman said.
Mr Marles first voiced his concerns in August last year.
At the time, he wrote a letter to Ms Kilkenny, detailing how he understood the issue was “tremendously weighing” on the Lara community.
Originally published as Lara incinerator: Kilkenny says no to authority shift as Marles slams plant
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