Benalla Rural City Council is backing the concerns of local residents about large-scale solar developments in the local government area, carrying an urgent motion at its recent meeting to advocate to planning and approval authorities that local be properly considered in any assessment process.
The Council says it will also write to Victorian Minister for Energy and Resources, Lily D’Ambrosio, asking for the Benalla municipality to be actively involved in the planning framework for the proposed Central North Renewable Energy Zone and seeking greater local input into future planning and approval decisions.
The Councillors have agreed to carry out a review on 15 July to examine the issues, opportunities and community concerns linked to solar projects and battery energy storage developments, and to form a clear position of local solar farms and battery development.
Following that review, the Council will write to 15 government ministers, shadow ministers, local members and members of the Legislative Council, outlining the full range of community views and concerns about further solar farm and battery energy storage developments in the municipality.
Mayor, Bernie Hearn said the community expects transparency and genuine consultation, yet there is growing concern that some solar and battery project developers are only presenting the information they want decision-makers to see, limiting meaningful community input and undermining confidence in the approval process.
“Our community has told us loud and clear that they want a say on these projects, and we’re listening, but the issue here is that the people assessing the applications and making approval decisions about these projects are not listening to our community,” she said.
“This is about getting a fair go for Benalla Rural City. We want to make sure the people who live here aren’t left out of decision making that affect their backyard.”
At the recent meeting, Council also received a petition signed by 156 people opposing the Nioka Solar Project, including its Battery Energy Storage System. The petition will be presented to the Benalla Rural City Council’s Finance and Planning Committee on 22 July.
