Wingecarribee Shire Council concerned about proposed Moss Vale Plastics Recycling Facility 'Plasrefine'

A report was put to the ordinary meeting of the council on Wednesday, July 19, which called into question the adequacy of the Plasrefine Social Impact Assessment, and the proposed new haulage site.

READ MORE:

ALSO READ: Wingecarribee Shire Council not satisfied by Plasrefine Response to Submissions

The letter to the DEP would also re-state the council's concerns about suitability of the site for the proposed development; inconsistency with the planning for the Southern Highlands Innovation Park; inconsistency with the Moss Vale Enterprise Corridor Development Control Plan; and infrastructure limitations and capacity issues.

That was according to the minutes of the council meeting on Wednesday, July 19 in relation to the proposed Moss Vale Plastics Recycling Facility.

At the same meeting, correspondence from Plasrefine director Nancy Zheng was tabled, which addressed some of the concerns raised by the council.

ALSO READ: GHD Group for Plasrefine Recycling deliver Response to Submissions report on Moss Vale Plastics Recycling Facility

With regards to the Response to Submissions report, Ms Zheng said Plasrefine was progressing a further independent social impact assessment in response to feedback by the council and community.

Ms Zheng said the proposed new haulage route has been reviewed and that it was supported by NSW Transport: "This information has been communicated at the six briefing sessions held by Plasrefine," she said.

However, at Wednesday's meeting a council officer told administrator Viv May that staff had reviewed the Plasrefine Response to Submissions report and had "a number of real concerns" about the way the Social Impact Assessment was developed.

"We called for [it] to be prepared because we had concerns about the engagement process that was undertaken to inform the development application," a council officer said.

"We specifically sought independent consultation to be undertaken to inform the Social Impact Assessment, and we asked that [it] be prepared knowing that it could lead to significant changes to the proposal."

However, the council officer said that no further consultation was undertaken with the community as part of developing the Social Impact Assessment.

ALSO READ: Plasrefine to deliver update on Moss Vale Plastics Recycling and Reprocessing Facility plans

"And we have real concerns that the Social Impact Assessment has essentially been retrofitted to fit the existing development proposal rather than potentially leading to significant changes," he said.

He noted that the applicant had proposed a new transport haulage route to: "bring waste to and from the site down through an established residential area and past an existing school."

He said the council had an adopted Transport Plan for what is known as the Southern Highlands Innovation Park [SHIP] that was put in place to allow Wingecarribee Shire Council to manage the impact of development within the industrial-zoned land, and "so that trucks weren't coming down through residential areas and past schools."

"The proposed haulage route directly conflicts with council's established planning framework for that area," he said.

He said the staff recommendation was for a letter to be sent, particularly addressing the council's concerns with the Response to Submissions report, the adequacy of the Social Impact Assessment, and the proposed new haulage route.

"We are also seeking to re-state our concerns because we don't feel they've been appropriately addressed, particularly in relation to the suitability of the site for the proposed development, the inconsistency with the planning framework, the issues raised earlier around the impact it will have on the work we're doing in relation to the SHIP, as well as some of the critical infrastructure limitations in and around Moss Vale," he said.

As such, the council is still not in a position to accept the applicant's previous offer to enter into a Voluntary Planning Agreement.

The council officer said a VPA was "premature" until the council had a proper understanding of what the final development proposal would be.

"There's an undertaking of review of the whole development as we speak, and until we know what the development is it's really hard for us to commit to enter into a VPA," he said.

"But also, we're not satisfied that the offer to enter into a VPA adequately addresses or demonstrates how the offer represents a material public benefit, and that is one of the critical tests for council to enter into a VPA."

In response, administrator Viv May said the staff was representing the community "very well" in this matter.

In relation to the correspondence by Plasrefine director Nancy Zheng, Mr May asked if there was anything that would sway the council officer's position?

"No," he said.

Mr May declared the officer's recommendations carried.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content: