Council takes stand on BESS

Baw Baw Shire has maintained a "strong and unequivocal objection" to a proposed Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) at Yarragon North, citing the impact on agricultural land as its main concern.
Council lodged an objection to the Department of Transport and Planning in relation to the planning application by ZEN Energy for a BESS utility station on a current farming property in Yarragon-Shady Creek Rd.
While council said it would not release a copy of its submission publicly, The Gazette has been provided with a copy from another source.
Council's central focus of its objection was the use and development of farming land for a BESS - with the proposal set to remove about 18 hectares of land from agricultural production for 30 years, which was a generation of farming.
"While council acknowledges that the land is not identified within the Baw Baw Planning Scheme as strategically significant highly productive land, this does not diminish its ongoing agricultural value or contribution to the rural economy.
"Council considers that proper regard must be given to the permanent loss of agricultural land, notwithstanding the scale of the landholding or the intensity of the existing agricultural activities undertaken on the site.
Council argued the proposed use was inconsistent with the planning policy framework, leading to potential adverse impacts and land use conflicts.
The submission also stated the proposed use of the land as a BESS had the potential to conflict with and constrain ongoing farming operations that may lead to the fragmentation of agricultural land use patterns.
While utility installations may be contemplated in limited circumstances, the proposal would occupy productive agricultural land for a non agricultural purpose and introduce an incompatible use into a farming node.
Council acknowledged there were competing objectives associated with protecting agricultural land and encouraging renewable energy.
The objections also addressed environmental impacts, hydrological, vehicle movements, as well as acoustic and landscape visual impacts.
The environmental concerns related to native vegetation removal and broader biodiversity impacts. The submission stated data indicated the critically endangered Warragul Burrowing Crayfish had been found within five kilometres of the study area and also in Trafalgar.
Council said the application failed to appropriately address stormwater and flood risk assessment matters.
Without the relevant assessments, council said it was not possible to properly understand the extent of flood risk, the likely off-site impacts of the development, the adequacy of any proposed drainage response, or whether the development could be designed to avoid adverse impacts on surrounding land and infrastructure including the designated waterway.
Council said the capacity of Yarragon-Shady Creek Rd to accommodate over-sized vehicles, without compromising the condition or function of the road, required further consideration.
The submission stated council accepted the acoustic and landscape visual impact reports were satisfactory but requested acoustic screening be provided as a condition of permit if the application was approved.
The submission was signed off by planning and development director Luke Connell, who also listed a number of recommended conditions to be included on a permit for works.