By Esther Lauaki
Moorabool residents and Bacchus Marsh Grammar are fighting to prevent expansion of operations at the Maddingley waste facility.
The Maddingley Brown Coal site at Tilleys Road is used to handle landfill and recycling materials, as well as for mining coal.
An application by Maddingley Brown Coal to amend the planning permit for the waste portion of the facility is out for public comment until March 5.
The application is to increase the landfill operating hours to include Good Friday and Christmas Day and to seek permission to accept “putrescible waste” which would include household waste containing organic material that will rot.
Town planning consultant Andrew Rodda, acting on the company’s behalf, said the amendments were a response to the 13.5-million-cubic-metre site becoming a designated “waste hub of state significance” last year and would enable the introduction of innovative treatment technologies.
Mr Rodda said that no further building or works would be required to accept putrescible waste.
Bacchus Marsh Grammar has lodged an objection. Principal Andrew Neil said he believed the school’s objections would “carry more weight” with support from the community.
“The waste facility is located within
2.5 kilometres of the Maddingley school campus and … currently this type of waste is specifically excluded from the original planning permit granted by Moorabool council,”
Mr Neil said.
“Our objection covers issues such as student safety, odour, traffic, dust, visual amenity and impact on environment and ground water.”
A school parent, who asked not to be named, told
Star Weekly that he feared the increased operations at the site could affect his child’s health.
“This proposal is walking distance to Bacchus Marsh Grammar where my son and around 2000 other sons and daughters go,” he said.
“This planned expansion could have a serious health impact on all those students, teachers, parents and surrounding residents.
“The traffic, which is already dangerous, would be made worse also.”
Application details: bit.ly/2EdRSpY
