Pelligra Group: Property developer charged over illegal Somerville Rd, Brooklyn industrial site
A major property developer is accused of repeatedly ignoring warnings over its use of a dangerously contaminated site in Melbourne’s west.
North West
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A major property developer allegedly ran an illegal industrial park on a notoriously polluted tract of land west of Footscray, but was only charged after nearly a year of ignoring authorities, authorities allege.
A subsidiary of property developer the Pelligra Group has been charged alongside a smaller local company, Australian Wood Exporters, over their continued use of a heavily polluted former chemical factory site to store trucks, logging vehicles, shipping containers and timber.
The EPA has warned the block, on Somerville Rd in Brooklyn, is “high risk”, should not be used “for any purpose” and is in need of a massive clean-up operation following decades of industrial contamination when it was home to the Huntsman Chemical plant.
In documents filed in the Sunshine Magistrates Court, Brimbank Council alleges five companies used the site to store heavy vehicles, shipping containers and timber, with Australian Wood Exporters being the main tenant.
Pelligra purchased the site in September 2018, and nearby businesses within months began complaining about dust being kicked up on the site.
According to court documents, which remain in dispute, the council wrote to the companies in February and April 2019, demanding industrial activity on the site cease and that they apply for planning permits.
However, investigators concluded the letters were ignored, and allege the illegal industrial activity on the site “intensified” over the following year.
The council laid charges in mid-2020, alleging both companies breached local planning laws for nearly a year.
Both companies have indicated they will plead guilty to breaches of the Planning and Environment Act and face small fines, but lawyers remain in negotiations.
The developer had once boasted of plans to turn the 200,000 sqm site into an industrial park, with a petrol station, warehouses, and retail shopfronts, but the future of the site remains unclear following the EPA’s warning about the need for a major clean-up.
The developer’s other high-profile projects include the Holiday Inn in Werribee, the redevelopment of former Ford plants in Geelong and Broadmeadows, and the refurbishment of the former Rydges hotel in Carlton into the Crowne Plaza.
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