Four solar options for consideration

Victorian Planning Minister Richard Wynne will consider four solar farm planning applications located across Greater Shepparton. 

Victorian Planning Minister
 Richard Wynne.

Greater Shepparton councillors decided at Tuesday’s meeting that the minister would deal with the applications. 

Mr Wynne said he had the option of approving or rejecting the permits, or approving them with conditions that stuck a balance and addressed community concern.

‘‘Renewable energy projects create jobs, drive down power prices and boost regional communities, but that doesn’t mean they deserve a rubber stamp,’’ he said. 

‘‘We’ll ensure all objectors have their say and their concerns are addressed where appropriate.’’ Mr Wynne will convene an independent planning panel to consider the merits of the proposals, and then provide advice for him to consider. 

‘‘These are significant proposals and deserve the highest levels of consideration. We’ll be asking an independent group of experts to closely examine the merits of these proposed solar farms,’’ State Member for Northern Victoria Mark Gepp said. 

The planning panel will fast-track the assessment of the permits and will also provide advice to Mr Wynne and Energy Minister Lily D’Ambrosio about how future solar farm applications will be assessed in the state. 

The applications to be considered by the panel include a 45 MW solar farm in Ferguson Rd, Tatura East, a 30 MW solar farm in Victoria Rd, Tallygaroopna, a 100 MW solar farm in Lemnos and a 68 MW solar farm in Congupna.

Today’s story by Rodney Woods from the Shepparton News - “Four solar options for consideration.”

Solar projects in spotlight

State Member for Shepparton Suzanna Sheed has welcomed a Victorian Government decision to assess planning applications for four proposed Greater Shepparton region solar farm projects.

State Member for Shepparton,
Suzanna Sheed.

Victorian Planning Minister Richard Wynne announced last week he would appoint an independent panel to assess the applications at Congupna, Lemnos, Tallygaroopna and Tatura East after Greater Shepparton City Council requested he stepped in.

The issue is an agenda item at tonight’s council meeting.

Ms Sheed said while it was usually preferable for councils to determine planning applications in their own municipality, the complexity of assessing solar projects in agricultural districts called for additional support.

Raising her concerns with Mr Wynne, Ms Sheed said she also urged the government to address the lack of relevant guidelines.

‘‘While the Greater Shepparton area enjoys plentiful sunshine year round, making it an ideal location for solar farms, it is also home to the prime agricultural land at the heart of our economy,’’ she said.

‘‘It is important that we find a balance between renewable energy investment and the sustainable future of our farming industry.

‘‘An independent panel will bring welcome expertise to the decision-making process and enable all parties to be heard in an appropriate forum.’’

Just days before the applications were due to be assessed at tonight’s meeting, the council agenda had revealed that councillors were recommended to vote in favour of the applications, subject to a raft of conditions.

But Mr Wynne ‘‘called in’’ the applications and said the panel would ensure objectors had their say and their concerns were addressed appropriately.

Ms Sheed said she was pleased the panel would also provide broader advice on how future solar farm projects would be assessed in Victoria.

‘‘Renewable energy is a rapidly growing sector and I expect we will see increasing numbers of applications for solar farms across the state,’’ Ms Sheed said.

‘‘If you combine that with the significant proportion of land used for agricultural purposes, there will no doubt be other councils in Victoria facing similar challenges to ours.

‘‘I would hope the findings of this expert panel will support all councils in setting regionspecific planning strategies for solar farms for the benefit of their individual communities.’’

Story by Tara Whitsed from today’s Shepparton News - “Solar projects in spotlight.”

Heat off solar farms

Victoria’s Planning Minister has called in a number of solar farm applications proving problematic for Greater Shepparton City councillors to decide on, days before they were set to go to a council meeting.

Peter Harriott.

Council chief executive Peter Harriott said the council was yesterday informed by the state planning department that pending applications would be ‘‘called in’’ and will now be considered by Planning Minister Richard Wynne.

The agenda to Tuesday’s council meeting, published yesterday, had recommended that councillors vote to grant planning permits to four solar farm applications for sites in Tatura East, Tallygaroopna, Congupna and Lemnos, subject to a raft of conditions.

But the minister’s intervention will mean the council will no longer need to determine these, the News understands.

Mr Harriott suggested an alternate motion will be put at the meeting.

He said it would be highlighted that correspondence had been received, that the minister would now call in the four applications and that the council cannot therefore determine them.

Mr Harriott said the outcome was sensible.

‘‘It’s what the council requested via a previous resolution.’’

‘‘It’s a sensible move, it provides consistency and the opportunity for the state to use this process to develop state guidelines for large-scale solar farms,’’ Mr Harriott said.

The applications constitute hundreds of millions of dollars in development costs and are estimated to produce hundreds of megawatts of power.

Estimations have the proposals creating an estimated 150 to 200 jobs during construction, and 15 ongoing jobs once complete, if approved.

The council had in November voted for its chief executive to request the minister to decide on the solar farm planning applications in Greater Shepparton and establish a process providing an opportunity for affected stakeholders to be heard.

The council’s main concern with the applications is ‘‘whether the loss of productive agricultural land . . . for a solar farm produces acceptable planning outcomes.’’

The News understands the planning minister can approve, reject or green light the permits with conditions that factor in community concerns.

The minister will convene an independent planning panel to consider the merits of the proposals, and then provide advice for him to consider, the News understands.

The panel will also be providing advice to the energy minister about how future solar farm applications will be assessed in Victoria, the News understands.

Mr Wynne said renewable energy projects created jobs, drive down power prices and boost regional communities, ‘‘but that doesn’t mean they deserve a rubber stamp’’.

‘‘We’ll ensure all objectors have their say and their concerns are addressed where appropriate.’’

Thomas Moir’s story from today’s Shepparton News - “Heat off solar farms.”

Solar farm support urged

State Member for Shepparton Suzanna Sheed believes the city’s council could use some Victorian Government help in assessing $300 million worth of solar farm applications, viewed by some councillors as problematic to determine.

Suzanna Sheed.

While Ms Sheed acknowledged the Moira Shire had no issue dealing with its own solar farm applications worth hundreds of millions, she identified a distinction between the land the solar farms were proposed for in the Moira Shire compared to Greater Shepparton.

‘‘Where a number of the applications, I understand, are to build on productive agricultural farming properties,’’ she said.

Ms Sheed said she had contacted Victoria’s planning minister outlining the concerns of constituents and objectors.

She said in circumstances where there was ‘‘a strong government policy to pursue renewable energy’’ she suggested help could be offered to ensure decisions made were sustainable in the future.

She suggested an expert panel to hear from all parties and assist in forming policy and guidelines.

Solar farm applications totalling more than $300 million will be addressed at a Shepparton council meeting this month.

Two councillors believe the proposals are problematic for the council to determine and fear a situation where whatever the resolution, the matters may end up at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal.

Victoria’s planning minister has yet to decide whether he will determine the projects, estimated to produce a total 200 MW of power for the region.

The council had in November voted for its chief executive to request the minister to decide on the solar farm planning applications in Greater Shepparton and establish a process providing an opportunity for affected stakeholders to be heard.

While Ms Sheed understood Victoria’s Planning Department’s general view might be for councils to determine such applications, she said the importance for the right framework around solar farm projects was there.

‘‘We really welcome this sort of investment,’’ she said.

‘‘We know we’ve got significant policy challenges ahead, and renewable energy is part of the solution.

‘‘We’ve got sunshine and the capacity to host solar farms in that region and we would want to.’’

The council declined to comment on the matter last week and did not shed light on what would specifically be considered at this month’s meeting.

Thomas Moir’s story into today’s Shepparton News - “Solar farm support urged.”

Solar power struggle

Solar farm applications totalling more than $300 million will be addressed at a Greater Shepparton City Council meeting this month.

But two councillors say the proposals are problematic for the council to determine and fear a situation where whatever the resolution, the matters may end up at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal.

Solar power struggle in the Goulburn Valley.

Victoria’s Planning Minister has yet to decide whether he will determine the projects, estimated to produce a total 200 MW of power for the region.

The council had in November voted for its chief executive to request the minister to decide on the solar farm planning applications in Greater Shepparton and establish a process providing an opportunity for affected stakeholders to be heard.

The council is keeping quiet on the matter for now and did not shed light on what would specifically be considered.

Councillors will be briefed next week ahead of the meeting.

The council declined to comment on the matter, and Mayor Kim O’Keeffe, when contacted, also declined to comment.

Five solar farm proposals — located in Tatura East, Tallygaroopna, Lemnos, Congupna and Mooroopna — were detailed in a council report last year. These projects are expected to produce an estimated output of 217 MW and cost a total $316 million, according to council projections.

The council’s main concern with the applications is ‘‘whether the loss of productive agricultural land . . . for a solar farm produces acceptable planning outcomes’’.

Officers would need to consider conflicting policies and decide on net benefit.

Cr Dennis Patterson said the council needed guidance from the Victorian Government on the applications, arguing it constituted new territory to decide on.

‘‘These are the things we have to be careful on,’’ he said, adding it wouldn’t be ideal for the matters to be decided at VCAT.

Regarding uncertainty around the impact of solar farms on orchards, Cr Patterson said it was a ‘‘complicated scenario’’ where facts needed to be found.

Cr Chris Hazelman said: ‘‘We’ve heard the relevant objections from people nearby, which indicates concerns about the science, about amenity, about the alienation of agricultural land.

‘‘And in the absence of those guidelines, it would appear that regardless of what decision council makes, either for or against . . . it will inevitably end up in VCAT. It’s going to make it difficult.’’

Asked about the Greater Shepparton solar farm applications, a spokesperson for Planning Minister Richard Wynne said the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning had prepared advice for the minister to consider, and he would make his ruling in due course.

Guidelines assisting solar farm proponents with navigating social and environment-related matters in the planning permit preapplication and application processes are in their final stages, The News understands.

This story from today’s Shepparton News - “Solar power struggle.”