Meadow Creek solar factory: Community group raises alarm

A proposed solar farm the size of four Melbourne CBD blocks has stirred a King Valley community group into action.

A farmer-led campaign against a proposal to build one of Australia’s largest solar facilities will kick into the new year, with a parliamentary review on the cards.

Developers propose to construct a $750m solar site at Meadow Creek in the King Valley, about 30 kilometres south of Wangaratta.

If constructed, the site will cover 570 hectares — the equivalent of four Melbourne city blocks — with farmers concerned about the fire risk and insurance implications.

They’ve formed a committee, the Meadow Creek Agricultural Community Action Group, and their cause has taken them to Spring Street, with upper house MP Rikkie-Lee ­Tyrrell putting forward an amendment to the Planning and Environment Act.

Meadow Creek Agricultural Community Action Group members.

Meadow Creek spokesman John Conroy said he and fellow farmers had a range of concerns about the proposal including the environmental impact on soil and the nearby King River.

The Bobinawarrah farmer said the likelihood of neighbouring farmers to obtain liability insurance was also a cause for concern.

“There needs to be greater foresight in preserving agricultural and water catchment ­assets,” Mr Conroy said.

“If this was on Melbourne’s doorstep, there would be uproar. The implications haven’t been thought through — whether that’s fire risk, lead contamination, run-off into the King River, which ultimately is Wangaratta’s water supply.”

Mrs Tyrrell, the upper house representative for northern Victoria, last week put forward an amendment to the Planning and Environment Act to address the Meadow Creek concerns.

A vote on the One Nation MP’s amendment was adjourned until a later date, likely in the new year. “The Meadow Creek solar factory has been forced on neighbouring communities with very little consultation or an acknowledgment of the real concerns about the environment and safety,” Mrs Tyrrell said.

Solar farms have been the source of controversy in recent years with a large-scale development near Camperdown generating headlines in 2019.

The proponents of the Meadow Creek solar facility and Victorian Environment Minister Steve Dimopoulos have been contacted for comment.