Council
has agreed on a series of proactive steps as it continues its efforts to have
the former recycling site at Broderick Road in Lara cleared, and its operator
held accountable for permit breaches.
Following a notice of motion moved by Cr Anthony Aitken during Tuesday night’s
meeting, the City of Greater Geelong has acknowledged that its highest priority
is to mitigate the risks to community health and safety.
The City will continue to work with the EPA
and other agencies to ensure all steps are being taken to meet this priority.
The notice of motion was in response to site owner TASCO appointing a
liquidator, Price Waterhouse Coopers, to wind up the company on 15 March.
This will not affect the ongoing safety measures in place at the site, which
include:
- Around the clock security patrols;
- Regular testing and monitoring of combustible materials;
- Earth moving, firefighting and heavy equipment on site;
- Installation of two 500,00 litre water tanks;
- Removal of large items (such as tyres) around the site
perimeter; - Construction of emergency vehicle access roads; and
- Clearing of vegetation.
The site operator, C&D Recycling, and its director David McAuliffe
repeatedly breached planning permit conditions and orders from the Victorian
Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT), before the company was liquidated late
in 2018.
In
January, Mr McAuliffe was sentenced to 90 days’ jail for breaches of the City’s
enforcement orders, with this sentence now the subject of an appeal.
Mayor Bruce Harwood:
The local community is understandably concerned
about this site and wants to see all possible steps taken to have it cleaned up.With this notice of motion we have made it clear that we consider this matter a
top priority, and have confirmed our ongoing commitment to working with the EPA
and others to manage the safety risks and clean the site up.Our absolute highest priority is the health and safety of the
community, and we will continue to give the site our full attention.
Councillor
Anthony Aitken, Windermere Ward:
This notice of motion is council’s
response to our community’s ongoing concern about the Broderick Road site. We
want the people of Lara and surrounds to know without any ambiguity that we are
hearing what they’re saying, and we’re continuing to make their safety an
absolute top priority while the site is cleaned up.Council wants the individuals
and companies responsible for this situation to be held accountable. We need
the state government’s support to avoid a repeat of what has happened at Broderick
Road. Clearly this issue of waste stockpiling is something we need to look at
as a state-wide issue.
