Sheed seeks assurances over Shepparton region solar proposals

THREE large-scale solar farms will be assessed with land-use questions in mind, the Victorian Planning Minister says.

Seeking assurance: Suzanna Sheed MP, pictured in Shepparton,has raised concerns over proposed solar farms.

THREE large-scale solar farms will be assessed with land-use questions in mind, the Victorian Planning Minister says.

Shepparton MP Suzanna Sheed queried Planning Minister Richard Wynne in state parliament last week over farmer concerns raised over the proposed Lemnos, Tally­garoopna and Tatura East solar farms.

The independent MP noted the closing date for submissions on the draft solar farm guidelines fell earlier this month and called for confirmation that no further work be taken on the three projects until the specifications had been publicly released.

“I seek this assurance from you because a constituent has shown me photographs taken (earlier this month) of contractors located on one of the properties at Lemnos,” Ms Sheed told the Legislative Assembly. “When confronted, they indicated that they were undertaking soil tests and other tasks in anticipation of installing those solar panels.”

Mr Wynne called in four applications for solar farms in the Greater Shepparton area and said the latest proposals would be given equal scrutiny.

He told the Shepparton MP he would not “make any decisions in relation to those three permits (Lemnos, Tallygaroopna and Tatura East) until that work is complete”.

Ms Sheed then called on the minister not to approve any of the three proposals nor similar applications located on “modernised irrigated” farms.

Mr Wynne declined to dismiss the projects immediately but said further work would be undertaken within the State Planning Department around land use questions. “The department will also examine) issues around water and irrigated land, because we want to be fully informed in making those decisions,” he said.