Cleanaway's application to increase its waste cell sizes by more than 30 metres has been rejected by the Shire of Dardanup council.
At the council's May 25 meeting it voted against requested changes to the Local Development Plan for Banksia Road, Crooked Brook.
Cleanaway own and operate the waste facility on the site and requested changes to the plan which would have seen waste cells increase in size from 117 metres to 151 metres.
In its application to the shire, Cleanaway said the increase in height would remain "discrete".
However, shire officer Murray Connell stated in the council report that the current works on the site were not considered discrete.
"The increase to 151m AHD is not considered to take the form of a slightly higher skyline but rather a noticeable hill that would break the strong horizontal panorama and adversely impact the broader landscape character," he stated.
Another reason to refuse the height request was due to the potential impact it would have on tourism to the Ferguson Valley.
"The total waste cell heights of 151m AHD will not be substantially landscaped for extensive periods of time and therefore will significantly impact the valued landscapes and views of the Dardanup area and Ferguson Valley," Mr Connell stated in the report.
There was plenty of interest from the public during the meeting with eight different residents asking a question about the issue as well as Heather Elliott and Russell Sheridan making a presentation to council.
Councillor Peter Robinson moved an alternative motion to include the recommendation of having additional expenditure over the 2021/22 and 22/23 financial years for legal expenses that may be incurred through the State Administrative Tribunal process.
Cleanaway have the ability to seek a formal hearing at the State Administrative Tribunal over the council's decision.
If that is the case, the shire expects the legal costs would be around $50,000.
The decision comes after Cleanaway applied to create three more waste cells which was also rejected by the shire in November 2021.
Cleanaway referred its application to the Environmental Protection Authority in which it asked for more information.
The shire understands that Cleanaway are still providing the extra information to the EPA.
Jemillah Dawson
I started as a journalist in 2011 and now manage mastheads in the South West of WA. My passion is politics and sport. I believe we are the voice for the community but also we inform the community of what they need to know. Email jemillah.dawson@austcommunitymedia.com.au
I started as a journalist in 2011 and now manage mastheads in the South West of WA. My passion is politics and sport. I believe we are the voice for the community but also we inform the community of what they need to know. Email jemillah.dawson@austcommunitymedia.com.au
