The proposed facility will be located about 4km from the town centre, at 118 Silo Rd. It will butt up alongside Silo Rd and part of the Newell Highway.
The solar farm development has been proposed by Greentech Solar.
In the report to be tabled at today’s council meeting, town planner Noureen Wajid has recommended the application be approved as it complies with the relevant sections of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979, the Berrigan Local Environment Plan and the Berrigan Development Control Plan.
Any approval would be subject to conditions of consent being met.
“The development application has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the EP&A Act and the associated regulations as outlined in the report,” the report to council says.
“Following a thorough assessment, the proposal is considered to be generally consistent with the relevant planning objectives and controls.
“The proposed development is unlikely to have any unreasonable impact on the environment or the locality.
“The key issues of construction noise, construction traffic, access and parking, visual impact and decommissioning have been resolved satisfactorily in the recommended draft conditions.
“The proposal is suitable for the site, compatible with the locality and is considered to be in the public interest.”
Council’s report suggests there would be minimal social impact as a result of the project, but that its economic impact would be positive.
“The project will introduce an additional renewable energy source, providing sustainable power to support the energy requirements of Berrigan Shire,” the report says.
“The project will reduce the dependence on electricity imports from distant power plants, thereby enhancing the energy self-sufficiency and resilience of the area.
“The project brings economic benefits to the area through the creation of employment opportunities.
“Most jobs will be generated during the four to six months construction phase, but there will also be a few ongoing maintenance jobs during the 32 year operation phase to undertake scheduled inspections and monitoring.”
In the public consultation phase leading up to today’s meeting, local residents were asked to comment on the proposed development.
Eight community submissions were received, seven of which did not support the project.
Six of those provided specific reasons for their objections, which include: Proximity to the town; health impact on local residents; impacts on agriculture land and waterways; glare; location and neighbouring uses; visual impact; close proximity of explosive storage areas; and fire hazard.
All matters were addressed in follow up reports, and at a consultation meeting involving the applicant and the objectors held on June 6.
In regards to the proximity to the town, the report suggests the area proposed for the solar farm is zoned general industry and primary production and that an electricity generating facility is permissible with consent.
The Berrigan LEP suggests the site is not productive agricultural land, nor is it susceptible to inundation.
The report further states that a glint and glare assessment and an acoustic report have been conducted, with both found to be within the guidelines.
Bushfire assessment and emergency management plans have been submitted with the application, and Berrigan Shire Council also sought input from the Rural Fire Service which indicated the project was not located in a bushfire area.
As for the visual impact, it is suggested that with the height of the solar panels not exceeding 2.2m it would not result in a disruption to any views or vistas.
The applicant further states that perimeter planting along all boundaries would further address those visual impact concerns.
Councillors have three options when voting today - agree with the report and approve the application subject to conditions; approve the applications with changes or additional conditions or refuse the application.
If councillors do refuse to adopt the recommendation, there must be a clear record of the reasons.
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