Toowoomba region projects on public notification: Solar farm, silo storage proposals among applications available for feedback

From solar farms to silo storage, here are three development applications now available for residents to give feedback.

A solar farm and silo storage projects are among a number of development applications (DAs) planned across the Toowoomba region that are now open to feedback from residents.

The Toowoomba Regional Council has revealed three DAs that are currently “on public notification”, meaning neighbours or affected locals can see the proposal and make submissions either in favour or against the project.

Public notification campaigns are only required for projects that are considered “impact-assessable” by the council, meaning the proposed use is in some way inconsistent with the generally accepted uses for the land’s zoning.

This is opposed to “code-assessable”, where a DA is deemed to be consistent with the zoning and therefore just needs to meet the outcomes for that area laid out in the council’s planning scheme.

Being impact-assessable does not mean the applications won’t be supported by council officers, but rather the proponents will need to provide more evidence to prove it is an acceptable outcome.

Moreover, resident feedback will be collated and considered as part of the officers’ recommendations and proposed conditions, and all of the evidence will be given to councillors at an upcoming special meeting for a final decision.

Any resident may lodge a submission, as long as it is considered “properly-made”.

To make a submission, head to the council’s website and fill out the form, quoting the below application numbers for the relevant DA.

Here are the three projects currently up for feedback and their application numbers:

1. Solar farm and battery project – Punch’s Creek

Solar farm developer Skylab Australia, operating under Punchs Creek Renewable Energy Pty Ltd, has lodged plans for a new 800MW project and 250MW battery storage across 1345 hectares on Punchs Creek Road in Punchs Creek.

Application number: MCUI/2023/991

Closing date for submissions: February 12, 2024

Brisbane boutique renewable energy developer Skylab lodged plans with the Toowoomba Regional Council in March for a two-stage 800MW solar project and 250MW battery storage system across more than 1300ha of agricultural land at Punch’s Creek.

The project, to be located about an hour southwest of Toowoomba, has been in development since 2019 but was fast-tracked following changes in government policy and the increasing purchasing price for solar power.

According to the planning report by Echo Consultants’ Claire Driessen, the project would feed electricity into the existing Powerlink 330kV transmission line that runs through the site.

The application is considered both “special activities” and “renewable energy facilities” uses, which are not code-assessable outcomes for the land that is zoned as rural.

Key issues raised by council officers in their information request relate to traffic impacts, stormwater, noise emissions, air quality and a number of sensitive receptors (neighbouring landholders) in the area.

2. New silos, West Prairie

Proposed new fertiliser silos at Jeffries Road in West Prairie, home of the Nutrien Ag Solutions site.

Application number: MCUI/2023/4728

Closing date for submissions: March 14, 2024

Applicant SolutionsWon Group Pty Ltd lodged plans with the council in October to build four new silos at the Nutrien Ag Solutions site on Jeffries Road in West Prairie, about 50 minutes west of Toowoomba.

In his report, Precinct Urban Planning’s James Williams said the new silos would double the company’s storage capacity of fertiliser and would offer a wider range of products.

“The facility is used for the sale of rural products and materials to local farmers,” he wrote.

“The development will allow for an increase in the total fertiliser storage capacity from 200 tonnes to 420 tonnes.

“Currently, due to the range required to be stored on-site throughout any given year, the operator is required to sell all stock of one product, with the silo being cleaned internally before the next product can arrive on-site.

“The proposed silos will allow for the storage of a wider range of products simultaneously while improving the efficiency of product delivery.”

The DA is listed as an “agricultural supplies store” use under the council’s planning scheme, while the land itself is located within the rural zone as well as both the Priority Agricultural Area and Priority Cropping Area.

“The development involves the expansion of an existing agricultural service and will not impact the agricultural potential of the site or surrounding locality,” Mr Williams continued.

The council’s information request focused on issues with existing land use rights, the storage of hazardous chemicals and parking, all of which were addressed by the applicant in its response.

3. Silo storage, Kingsthorpe

Sleba Farms at Kingsthorpe, west of Toowoomba.

Application number: MCUI/2023/1277

Closing date for submissions: March 25, 2024

The proposal put forward to the council by Sleba Farms for its site along Kingsthorpe-Haden Road at Kingsthorpe actually contains no new structures or works at all.

Rather, the application lodged is to allow for the operation to let other neighbouring landholders store grain and other products in its vast collection of silos on the site.

“The premises has substantial grain storage capacity in 107 silos,” Craven Town Planning wrote in its report.

“Since about 1998, some of that capacity has been occasionally used by other property owners to store produce.

“The proportion of produce from the subject property to that from other properties varies seasonally, mainly on account of the amount of storage used by the applicants.”

Because the storage of product grown on another property is not considered part of a “cropping” use under the planning scheme, the application is considered a “warehouse” use and now not consistent with the rural zoning for the land.

As a result, the DA is impact-assessable and open to public feedback.