samantha in the press - planning

Money for jam push
Mail Newspapers
by Mara Pattison-Sowden
20 June 2012

Bottling facility in hot water
Mail Newspapers
by Mara Pattison-Sowden
20 June 2012

water bottling bottled

report from the roundtable - 12 jun


There's a site that's come before council a couple of times over the time I've been a councillor, it's the Water Bottling Plant out in the Don Valley.


Tonight it was before us again seeking a retrospective permit (that means the works have already been constructed without a permit). The works include the construction of seven water tanks, machinery shed, two shipping containers and a bore shed.


The submitter for the objectors put forward a compelling case, a very experience town planner herself, Ms Jacka presented a range of documents to council with irrefutable evidence that there has only ever been permission for two tanks on site even though there are seven on site. The photographs provided by the submitter highlighted how industrialised this site was.


Cr Chris Templer (ward councillor for O'Shannassy) moved a motion to approve the permit, but this motion lapsed for failure to get a councillor to second the motion. 


Cr Jeanette McRae moved a motion to refuse the application, to which I was happy to second. 


In speaking to motion I talked about the importance of the Rural Conservation Zone. It is a zone which recognises significant environmental values. It is not a zone that suits industrialisation.


The purpose of the zone is to protect and enhance the natural environment and natural processes for their historic, archaeological and scientific interest, landscape, faunal habitat and cultural values.


In no way did I think the application aligned with this purpose.


The Rural Conservation Zone also aims to protect and enhance natural resources and the biodiversity of the area and encourages development and use of land which is consistent with sustainable land management and land capability practices, and which takes into  account the conservation values and environmental sensitivity of the locality.


Did this application meet this purpose, in my view it did not.


The zone also provides for agricultural use consistent with the conservation of environmental and landscape values of the area and seeks to to conserve and enhance the cultural significance and character of open rural and scenic non urban landscapes.


A highly industrialised water bottling site does not meet this purpose.


Add to that the fact that the site has an Environmental Significance Overlay and a Significant Landscape Overlay, it is completely inappropriate to contemplate such a development in this location.


I'm pleased to say the majority of councillors supported Cr McRae's refusal motion.


Voting for: Crs Jeanette McRae, Samantha Dunn, Len Cox, Noel Cliff, Terry Avery, Richard Higgins and Tim Heenan


Voting against: Crs Chris Templer and Graham Warren

water bottling – the trucks continue

report from the roundtable – 27 jul

This week council had to consider an amendment to a planning application at a water bottling plant in the Don Valley.

The plant was approved some time ago (2005) but recent non compliant activity forced the company to apply for an amendment to their permit to distribute ‘bulk’ water from the site via water tankers. The matter is currently before VCAT so council was deciding on a position to put to VCAT.

A lot of the recommendation centred around truck movements but to me, the key issue was whether to allow bulk water to be transported off the site. In arguing to refuse the amendment to the permit I tried to highlight the importance of not allowing bulk water off the site.

It is bad enough that bottled water has been approved, but to remove bulk water is even more detrimental. Currently the modest nature of the bottling plant limits the amount of water currently trucked off site. The plant is currently licensed to extract 62 megalitres (62 million litres!) from a bore, but bottling slows this process of extraction down. The water, managed by Southern Rural Water, is sold off at dirt cheap rates. It’s scandalous that our precious resources are managed so poorly.

It is not an environmentally sustainable business and has serious consequences for the water table and stream flow in the Don River.

The Don Road is a winding road, with no line marking or footpaths, kids walk on it to get home from school and it has deep ditches, it beggars belief that Vic Roads had no issues with trucks, including semi trailers, using this section of the road.

I couldn’t support the motion, I thought our strength was refusing to accept bulk water transport. A division was called so the way councillors voted was publicly recorded.

For: Crs Templer, Warren, Higgins, Avery and Cox
Against: Crs Dunn, McRae, Heenan and Cliff

in the press – water bottling in the don valley

Plea to go with flow

Have your say

Lilydale and Yarra Valley Leader

by Alex Munro

5 Jul 2010