A special Glenelg Shire Council meeting was held on Tuesday night to decide the future of the proposed Yumbah Aquaculture abalone farm.

Council approved the 63-hectare project with a number of "modifications, amendments and concessions", which Yumbah Aquaculture director Anthony Hall said they were happy to accommodate for.

During the special meeting, opposing speakers included Abalone Divers Association executive officer Harry Peeters, Gunditjimara woman Amy Saunders, Tony Wright - whose family has lived in Portland since the 1840s and lawyer Stephen Davis who spoke on behalf of the Port of Portland (POPL).

Mr Davis said the POPL was concerned regular sand bypassing activities would impact on abalone operations, and that the issue had not been properly considered in Yumbah's application.

"Yumbah itself acknowledged that a major challenge would be dealing with the ocean born sand that is suspended in the water column and drawn in by the inlet pipes, yet POPL's sandbypassing activities did not even rate a mention in the risk register," he said.

"Yumbah said they'd do modelling to confirm there was no impact and we provided them with years of data to do so. But months later there is still no report and still no modelling data to show sand bypassing will not cause impacts."

He said Yumbah had also not modeled the impact of the Port's dredging work, including the proposed expansion of a new berth which would result in the disposal of significant quantities of dredged material from the Port into the designated ground near the Yumbah development site.

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Tony Wright, who owns a house on the Dutton Way, said it could be the first time a heavy industry like the Port had "combined with environmental and residents groups to oppose a very large farming operation". He said Mr Davis' address at the special meeting was "utterly ignored by every councillor".

"They had clearly made up their minds before the meeting occurred, as those who spoke already had their speeches written," he said.

"They read directly from them, therefore saying nothing about the Port's address whatsoever."

Mr Wright said Yumbah's Kangaroo Island agriculture farm had been in a long conflict with a company hoping to build a port to export wood chips.

"Yumbah's argument is that suspended material from a port, particularly the export of wood chips, would put its abalone in jeopardy," he said.

"So there are those who wonder why it would then apply for one of the world's biggest abalone farms to be built at Portland, where the world's biggest hardwood export port is located."

Mr Wright said that particular issue was not raised in the special meeting but was among the 330 public submissions received by council and the Environment Protection Authority (EPA).

Speaking on behalf of the residents, Mr Wright said he lived 24-metres from the southern boundary of the proposed development site.

"This would one of the world's biggest farm and would irrevocably alter the landscape, and overwhelm the homes of residents, some of who have lived on Dutton Way for generations," he said.

"We have no problem with Yumbah wishing to expand its operations but to do so within a small seaside village - the last green seaside entrance to Portland - is simply the wrong space.

"Yumbah, itself on its website, boasts that it places its farms in isolated areas. The Dutton Way is a long established settlement of hundreds of people and is not isolated. It's the wrong place for this proposal."

Mr Wright said he felt "pretty comfortable" with council's decision to approve the proposal.

"This is simply a first step in a long process," he said.

"This will go to appeal to VCAT and the council itself has placed a number of quite onerous conditions on Yumbah if it were to proceed."

Yumbah says it now plans to consult with the Victorian Aboriginal Corporation for Languages and formally seek permission from Gunditjmara Traditional Owners through the Gunditj Mirring Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation for the proposed farm to be named Yumbah Nyamat.

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