Bookaar-Camperdown Community Action Group’s Andrew Wilson said since forming the group he had been “blown away” by the number of people voicing their opposition.

“We have been inundated with members, people who are opposing this potential development,” he said.

Bookaar Renewables, a joint venture between Infinergy Pacific and the McArthur family, is proposing the $150-million solar farm on the McArthur’s Meningoort property, about eight kilometres north of Camperdown.

Mr Wilson was one of five concerned residents who addressed Corangamite Shire councillors at their meeting on Tuesday.

Corangamite Shire is due to rule on whether it will grant a planning permit for the development on September 25.

The council has made the unprecedented move of relocating its September meeting, which had been scheduled for Skipton, to Camperdown for the decision.

As of Wednesday afternoon, seven objections to the proposal had been received. Objections close on September 3.

Mr Wilson, a fifth-generation Bookaar farmer who leases 17 per cent of the development area, said change to land use, environmental impact, drainage, glint and glare, land devaluation and fire risk were among the biggest concerns.

He said claims made in proposal documents that the land was of a “secondary-class nature” were “absolute bunkum”.

“This is up with the best farming land in south-west Victoria, the food bowl at the moment of Victoria and one of the only areas in the country which is not in a drought,” he said.

“On this area I grow wheat, canola and faber beans. I’ve always obtained successful crops.”

Mr Wilson said with 700,000 solar panels that will require no water, drainage was also a concern for nearby landholders.

“Downstream we will not be able to take this water, it will be an absolute disaster. It will take out bridges, it will take out dams it will take out everything,” he said.

The company has stated that the development would create 150 jobs during construction, but Mr Wilson said the community was unlikely to see any benefit.

“This is going to benefit one family and one multi-national. It’s not going to benefit anyone else in the community. They will drag all their crap in from China, they will bring guys down from Melbourne and probably do night work. They’re going to wreck our roads, what’s in it for us? There’s absolutely nothing, I don’t see any benefit,” he said.

Action group vice-chair and Bookaar Fire Brigade member Andrew Duynhoven described the project as a “massive industrial installation”, with not enough work done on the environmental impacts, glint and glare and fire risk.

“The proposal has a lot of holes in it, in its form currently. It doesn’t indicate what type of panels, what type of batteries that they will use.” 

“I know we are the food bowl… I’m happy to be the food bowl, but I don’t want to be the power bowl.”

Mr Duynhoven said the development’s fire risk was “just unknown”.

“I only hope that when I stood up at the botanical gardens during the St Patrick’s Day fire, when I was part of the group up there wondering how the hell we were going to combat the fire as it was coming up the hill. I hope I don’t have to make that same decision when I’m behind the Bookaar fire shed,” he said.

Darlington Road resident Beth Marburg said her house would be closer to the development than the McArthur family.

“It’s not as if Bookaar is an empty landscape, plenty of people live in Bookaar, many people will be affected by this directly,” she said.

“Our place is a hobby farm and it’s going to destroy the landscape, it’s going to rob us of our rural amenity and it’s going to devalue our property.”

Infinergy Pacific is hosting two drop-in consultation sessions in Camperdown on Thursday. The first session is from 11am-1pm and the second from 3pm-6.30pm at the Killara Centre.

RELATED: $150-million solar farm planned for Camperdown

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