By Belinda Nolan
BRIMBANK residents have won the fight to stop a landfill from being built at the former Sunshine-Kealba Quarry.
The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal last week upheld Brimbank Council’s decision to refuse a planning permit for the proposal, which would turn the former quarry into a rubbish dump.
The council spent around $300,000 defending the case, while residents also dug deep for the cause.
The 10-day hearing was conducted over three weeks in March and April this year, with tribunal members inspecting the site and surrounding homes as part of their investigations.
In handing down its ruling, the tribunal found that a solid inert waste landfill would have no benefit to the community.
The tribunal also ruled that the proposal did not satisfy minimum requirements for landfills, with the borders encroaching too close on nearby homes and the landfill set to sit below the regional watertable, with waste deposited less than two metres away from groundwater.
Although the tribunal agreed that community concerns relating to dust, landfill gas, litter and traffic could be overcome, it was not confident that the applicant, Barro Group, would adequately manage the site, given previous mismanagement.
“It is clear to us based on the statements of those residents who gave evidence that dust has been a major source of annoyance and ongoing concern,” the tribunal found.
“The fact that the EPA has issued a Pollution Abatement Notice demonstrates that the existing concrete batching and recycling plant have not always been managed appropriately.”
