Toowoomba council approves controversial agricultural chemical manufacturing plant at Charlton

The green light has been given to build a new manufacturing plant in Toowoomba’s western suburbs, which is expected to be able to produce 18 million litres of chemicals within a few years. But not everyone is happy.

Concept art for Agcrest Pty Ltd's proposed chemical manufacturing plant on Steger Road in Charlton, which was approved by the Toowoomba Regional Council.

A proposal for a massive chemical manufacturing plant in Toowoomba’s western suburbs, which could produce more than 18 million litres of herbicides and pesticides annually within five years, has been controversially approved by the council.

AgCrest Pty Ltd has been given the green light to build a four-stage plant on a large parcel of land along Steger Rd in Charlton, which would involve the processing, storage and distribution of chemicals used in agriculture.

According to the original planning report by I3 Consulting, the 15ha facility would manufacture nearly 19 million litres of herbicides, insecticides, fungicides and adjuvants by its fifth year of operation and employ more than 50 people.

Concept art for Agcrest Pty Ltd's proposed chemical manufacturing plant on Steger Road in Charlton, which was approved by the Toowoomba Regional Council.

It’s a project that has taken more than two years to be approved, given the high potential impacts of the use and opposition from some neighbouring residents.

While the land was rezoned in 2012 from rural to medium-impact industry, a chemical plant is considered a “special industry” and the application was “impact-assessable”.

Submissions were received by two neighbours, who opposed the project on its inconsistency with the planning scheme and the potential negative effects of pesticide manufacturing.

“I am sure that the applicant’s consultants have stated that there would no adverse effects on the residences in the area however we note that a very much diluted glysophate and 24D chemicals are sprayed by local farmers in the area which produces odours,” residents Steve and Maria Fatseas wrote.

“The spraying is not often and therefore can be tolerated.

“We feel that the daily manufacturing of concentrated chemical products will cause a regular odour to us and others given that the wind is mostly from the east and southeast.”

In response to the concerns, Gilvear Planning’s Sera Rohan (on behalf of the council) argued all issues could be mitigated with appropriate conditioning.

“The applicant has provided justification in terms of why the use cannot be located on other zoned sites in the Charlton Wellcamp area, and essentially, all other high impact industry zones or general industry zones in the CWEA are either fully developed or subject of approvals and partially developed for purposes other than special/high impact industry,” she wrote.

“This confirms that there is potentially a latent, unmet demand given the type of industrial use proposed is not currently provided in the local government area, and is proposed to be relocated and amalgamate two other sites in Australia.”

Ms Rohan issued more than 120 conditions for applicants to follow.