Community stakeholders of the proposed Western Renewables Link (WRL) say they are “disappointed” with the project’s consultation and feel overwhelmed with reviewing its recently publicised environmental effects statement (EES).
AusNet is proposing to build a 190-kilometre electricity transmission line that will carry renewable energy from Bulgana in western Victoria to Sydenham in Melbourne’s north-west.
The EES for the proposed project was made public and was opened to submissions for a period of 40 business days from Monday, June 30.
Plumpton landholder and Western Victorian Community Alliance Melton representative Barbara Ford said the EES is almost 10,000 pages long and is “a dense collection of technical, regulatory, and environmental material”.
“And yet, the public has been given just 40 days to read, understand, and respond to it. AusNet has taken five years to collate all the information employing people full-time,” Ms Ford said.
Melton Football Netball Club president Matt Kerr said he has struggled to find time to sit down and read the document while trying to run a business and fulfil his role with the club.
“As a club, we’re very disappointed with the consultation process.”
Melton Airfield head of operations Evan Reeve said the airfield is at risk of closing down its services as the towers would be within 500 metres of the airfield.
“It can’t operate given the fact that we operate to a safety management system. It doesn’t fit … the risks can’t be mitigated,” Mr Reeve said.
An AusNet spokesperson said the organisation understands that hosting infrastructure of this scale can be challenging for communities and welcomes the views of the community.
The spokesperson said anyone can make a submission on the EES which will then be considered by an independent planning panel run by Planning Panels Victoria.
“The minister for planning has specified a 40 business day exhibition period for the WRL EES. This is longer than the usual 30 business day timeframe outlined in the ministerial guidelines. The extended period reflects both the scale of the project and the high level of public interest,” the spokesperson said.
There will be information sessions for the EES at MacPherson Park in Harkness on July 29, from 4-8pm, and at Darley Park Community and Sports Centre on August 1, from 4-8pm.
