Council has reiterated its opposition to the Lara waste to energy incinerator as part of advocacy efforts for the project to be cancelled and will seek to become a decision making authority for similar proposals in the future.
EPA Victoria approved the development licence for the private facility on McManus Road in 2023, which will see 400,000 tonnes of waste each year incinerated and converted into 35 megawatts of electricity – enough to power up to 50,000 homes.
Residents, community groups such as Geelong Sustainability, Say NO to the Lara Big Incinerator and Committee for Geelong, and Council continue to object to the planned incinerator.
There are significant concerns about potential community health and environmental impacts, and questions regarding the plant's safety and viability, including:
- proximity to homes as close as 350 metres and schools and preschools within five kilometres;
- adverse health effects, including significant associations with some cancers, birth defects, infant deaths and miscarriage;
- potential odours;
- air pollution, including residual particles landing on produce grown in the region; and
- the production of 4.8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e) over its lifetime.
As a referral authority, Council's role in this process to date has been limited to providing advice and feedback regarding the application's consistency with the Greater Geelong Planning Scheme.
Council has written to the Minister for Planning twice on the issue and last night, resolved to continue advocating for the project to be halted.
This will involve seeking changes to the Planning Scheme to enable Council to be the decision making authority for any future waste to energy proposals within the City of Greater Geelong.
Council also requested that the CEO prepare a strategic policy report about waste to energy in our municipality for councillors to consider in the future.
Geelong Mayor Stretch Kontelj OAM
Council has listened carefully to the community's concerns about the facility.We understand that Lara residents and the broader community are troubled by the potential environmental and health impacts of this waste to energy incinerator.
Council is committed to continue supporting the community and advocating against this project, and we thank each and every person who has shared their feedback with us on the issue.
You Yangs Ward Councillor Chris Burson
The Notice of Motion was supported by Council unanimously.The Council's role in the formal process of this planning application was unfortunately limited to providing advice and feedback on this project.
So, we are seeking to address this weakness in the planning process, given the significant community impact associated with such proposals.
This is not just a Lara issue; this is a City of Greater Geelong issue.
