UPDATE

UPDATE Blantyre Farms Harden Shire Development Application for a 25,000 intensive factory farm piggery involving both Breeding & Growing operations across two (2) sites approximately 1 km apart, 21 sheds incorporating a sedimentation and evaporation pond system, and a methane digestive system. While council initially flagged that a council report including recommendations may be ready by the September 2016 council meeting, this was always, in our opinion, premature given the complexity of the DA, the ongoing need for various levels of assessment of highly technical, complex and specialised information, the additional involvement of the three State Government agencies and their own necessary General Terms of Approval (GTA’s), the now Independent Hearing and Assessment Panel (IHAP) process and assessment, and what will now include the compilation of and review of additional reports. Further to our previous updates and specifically following the 22 June 2016 council meeting, and council’s own public advice, ‘Panel to assist with Harden Piggery Application’ http://hilltops.nsw.gov.au/panel-to-assist-with-harden-piggery-application/ we confirm the following. MOST RECENT DEVELOPMENTS UPDATE: To ensure the most suitable and best qualified IHAP participants, it has obviously taken council a period of time to seek expressions of and then appoint the best and most suitable/qualified panel members, and determine the process to be undertaken. This has now been finalised. Over the next four to five weeks, panel members will fully review and assess specific information (Groundwater usage and management, Odour, Soil conditions and capability, Traffic and road usage and Biodiversity). They will meet amongst themselves and with council staff and/or with other stakeholders, and will also likely undertake site inspections. The panel members will then be given a period of time to compile reports for council outlining their opinions, findings and determinations. At the conclusion of the IHAP process, council will need to determine whether they have sufficient information to proceed with compiling a report with recommendations or, whether additional information needs to be requested from the applicants’, and/or whether new/additional information will again need to be placed on a 28 day public exhibition period followed by a further state government 21 day review period. Council will also need to be guided by the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage (Aboriginal heritage); Department of Primary Industries – Water (extraction of water); and the Environment Protection Authority (licensed premises for the purposes of waste disposal, including an assessment of odour impacts) in respect to these department’s decisions regarding their individual GTA’s. The Blantyre Farms DA matter is accordingly, in our opinion, still some way off being ready for a council report with recommendations or final council decision for a number of reasons. Similarly, this matter could, depending on various circumstances, developments and decisions, venture down a number of different paths. Until all the above steps and processes have been undertaken, council is not in a position to even begin compiling what will be a complicated and detailed council report with recommendations. You may ask, ‘is all this necessary’. The simple answer is YES because animals, people and the environment are all at stake and we need to SAY NO to the ongoing sprawl of intensive animal factory farming which is inhumane, unsustainable, environmentally destructive and bad for human health and rural communities. RECAP OF OUR PREVIOUS UPDATES: The Blantyre Farms DA is both an Integrated and Designated development. While Hilltops council is the ‘consent’ authority (the ultimate decision makers), General Terms of Approval is also required from three State Government agencies. Those agencies are the Office of Environment and Heritage (Aboriginal heritage); Department of Primary Industries – Water (extraction of water); and the Environment Protection Authority (licensed premises for the purposes of waste disposal, including an assessment of odour impacts). For Integrated development, Council must REFUSE a DA where a relevant state government agency advises it will not issue General Terms of Approval, and Council cannot issue any consent until it has received General Terms of Approval from ALL relevant agencies. As consent authority for this application, council cannot however rely solely on the issue of General Terms of Approval by relevant state government agencies. Council must itself be satisfied of the suitability of the development on the site and be satisfied that the impacts of the development have been appropriately identified and addressed and can be appropriately managed over the life of the development. This process also includes adequate review of all matters raised by objectors to the development – now totalling thousands of objections. Round one (28 day period) of public submissions (closed Friday 5 February 2016), resulted in a record number of approximately 1,140 submissions. Throughout the review period and assessment of the proposal, council staff and state government agencies have carried out various levels of assessment on the application however, have had to request additional information on a number of occasions. Many objectors to the DA, (ourselves included), have likewise expressed ongoing valid and legitimate concerns and challenged the applicants’ DA and EIS content including, missing, confusing, conflicting and ambiguous information. Had Blantyre Farms (Edwina & Michael Beveridge), initially completed and submitted a comprehensive DA and EIS (as is required), this assessment and review process may not have taken as long as it has (now at the 8 month mark). As so-called experienced and ‘leading’ operators, we were gobsmacked by the applicants’ DA and EIS content including, missing, confusing, conflicting and ambiguous information, not just in the initial Round 1, but also the subsequent Round 2 information submitted by Blantyre Farms. On 11 February 2016, council wrote to the DA applicants’ (Edwina & Michael Beveridge) and issued a 14 page communication requesting better and further particulars based on council requirements, and those of various State Government agencies including, the Department of Primary Industries, the Office of Environment and Heritage and the Environment Protection Authority. This resulting new and additional information necessitated Round two (28 day period) of public submissions (closed Monday 6 June 2016), and an increased record number of approximately 1,400 additional submissions. Because of the nature of this DA (Integrated and Designated), at the conclusion of each of the thus far public submission periods, the relevant state government departments and authorities have also had 21 day periods in which to review all submissions. At the Wednesday 22 June 2016 Hilltops council meeting, Hilltops council’s Administrator approved the establishment of an Independent Hearing and Assessment Panel (IHAP) to assess the aspects of groundwater usage and management, odour, soil conditions and capability, traffic and road usage and biodiversity of the DA, and council’s General Manager was authorised to seek expressions of interest from suitably qualified and experienced professionals in the aforementioned. THANK YOU Our campaign Mascot ‘Shy’ the Platypus reiterates part of our ‘Say No’ objection conclusion which stated, ‘The ‘precautionary principle’ must be applied in environmental planning decision-making and conservation of biological diversity and ecological integrity should be a fundamental consideration. The ‘precautionary principle’ requires decision-making to give the environment the benefit of the doubt.’ We are in the background continuing to work very hard on a number of related matters and we are closely monitoring all developments to ensure we are ready if/when this matter goes to council for a final decision. We are here for the long-run, 100% committed and unwavering in our position. Rest assured, when significant news or developments are known and confirmed, we will update you all again. Thank you ALL for your un-wavering and ongoing interest, support and encouragement. TOGETHER, WE CAN DO THIS :)