Tara Murray
“I’ve been living in fear for many years because a landfill would be a disaster for people living in the area.”
Those were the words of long-time Kealba resident Gieste Dos Santos 10 years ago, when the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) denied Barro’s application to build a landfill at a former quarry.
The tribunal ruled that the proposal did not provide a net community benefit or achieve sustainable development for present and future generations.
“It’s not healthy to live near a rubbish tip,“ Ms Dos Santos told The Weekly in June 2011.
“Our properties would be worth so much less.“
Residents surrounding the site celebrated the VCAT decision after years of campaigning and said they would turn their attention to push for rehabilitation of the site.
But it was short-lived, with Barro taking its case to the Supreme Court, which ordered the matter to be heard again.
In 2013, VCAT gave Barro the go-ahead to turn the Sunshine Avenue site into a landfill.
Since then, the community feels it has paid the price for a decision that should never have been made.
Kealba has been enveloped by foul stenches for more than 18 months as underground fires continue to burn.
Residents say their health is being affected by the smell – many are unable to use their backyards or open windows of their houses.
There have been continued calls for the site to be shut down permanently.
The recently formed Brimbank Community Against Barro Landfill Facebook page has more than 270 followers, demanding the right to air quality in the west.
St Albans MP Natalie Suleyman, who lives in the area, has taken the issue to Parliament saying residents are ’fed up’.
In 2011, then-Brimbank council chairman Peter Lewinsky said the council didn’t believe that the landfill was in the best interests of the community.
“A landfill built below the ground water table and with the potential of rising 15 metres can impact on surrounding residents and their homes,“ he said.
The council received more than 650 objections to the landfill planning application in 2010 when it went before the council. A Brimbank Weekly article in 2011 said the council spent about $300,000 on the first VCAT case.
Brimbank mayor Ranka Rasic last month said the landfill had a big impact on neighbouring residents.
“Over the years the Kealba landfill has been a cause for concern,” Cr Ranka said.
“Our community has had to put up with odour issues and poor air quality, and now the long-standing hot spots are having significant impacts on community wellbeing and amenity.
“Our community is fed up of living next to the landfill and being impacted by it.”
Cr Rasic said as the landfill operates under a licence issued by the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) , the EPA is the relevant authority for these issues.
She called for better management of the site to resolve the ongoing hot spots.
The council’s Facebook page states the council sought legal advice on whether it could cancel Barro’s planning permit, but was told it doesn’t have the power to do so.
“On behalf of our community, we’re continuing to raise concerns again with the state government and the EPA,“ the post stated.
“We’re calling on the EPA to throw all available resources and legislative powers towards resolving the ongoing issues associated with the hot spots as soon as possible.”
