At the September Council meeting, Council voted to defer a decision on whether to issue a planning permit for the development of an organic processing facility in Huntly.
Western Composting Technology had applied for a planning permit to develop a facility on a 6.2ha site located next to the Bendigo Livestock Exchange on Wallenjoe Road, Huntly.
The company has also applied to the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) for a Development Licence. It requires both a planning permit from the City and a Development Licence from the EPA to proceed.
Council voted to wait for the EPA's decision on the Development Licence before making its decision on whether to issue a planning permit.
Mayor Cr Andrea Metcalf said once the EPA's decision is known, the planning permit would return to Council within one meeting.
"Council felt it needed the direction from the EPA to help inform its decision making, particularly as the EPA considers the operational impacts of the site, which could process up to 30,000 ton of organic waste per year," Cr Metcalf said.
Organic material would be held in a semi-enclosed building and shredded before being placed in climate-controlled vessels to undergo pasteurisation (a heating method to eliminate pathogens). The material would then be transferred to long rows where it would mature for up to 16 weeks prior to being screened, and the final compost product being dispatched for agricultural and domestic use.
