VCAT knocks back Bookaar solar farm proposal, Australia’s biggest
Plans for Australia’s largest solar farm have been knocked back by VCAT.
A PROPOSAL to build Australia’s largest solar farm has been dealt a hammer blow with Victoria’s planning arbitrator knocking back an appeal by the proponents.
The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) today ruled against the Bookaar Solar Farm, a joint project of Infinergy Pacific and landowners, former Corangamite MP Stewart McArthur, state Liberal MP Bev McArthur and their family.
Corangamite Shire received 81 objections to the $150 million project before councillors rejected the proposal in September, leading to VCAT proceedings.
Hydrology was a key consideration in VCAT’s decision to not grant a planning permit for the 700,000 solar panel project.
“The hydrological assessment of the proposal is inadequate,” according to the VCAT executive statement released today.
“The applicant has done little more than undertake a high-level desktop drainage and flood
risk assessment.
“There is no flood data or modelling for the site, although part of the land was historically a swamp known to be subject to occasional inundation.”
However, on visual impact, the expert assessment presented to VCAT found the proposed solar farm “would not have an unacceptable presence in the landscape, nor detrimentally impact on vistas, visual corridors or sightlines from the public realm — including
from Mt Leura and the Lake Gnotuk and Bullen Merri lookout points.”
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SHIRE OUTLAYS $120K OVER VCAT DECISION
COUNCIL DENIES PLANNING PERMISSION
Bookaar farmer Andrew Duynhoven, who was one of several farmers in the district opposed to the proposal, hailed the VCAT decision “a win for the little people.”
“We were up against a powerful company and a powerful family and yet the merits of our argument were listened to,” he said.
“It restores your faith in the system. We’re not against solar or renewable energy. We were against this project; a massive, massive project.
“We wanted (the proponents) to go back to the drawing board. We had concerns about the impact on the region’s hydrology, the fire risk presented by such a huge development and that was taken into consideration by VCAT.”
Infinergy Pacific, which represents both the wider energy group and the McArthur family, were contacted by The Weekly Times for comment.
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