Objectors to a massive solar farm near Camperdown are gearing up to battle the project once again, calling on the state government to sit down and consult with them about their concerns.
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The $150 million project was knocked back by the Victorian Civil Administrative Tribunal on appeal after being rejected by Corangamite Shire Council last year.
VCAT left the door open for the company behind the project, Infinergy, to reapply but in September last year the state government changed the planning guidelines for large-scale solar farm, bringing them into line with windfarms.
The move paved the way for the project to bypass the council process, and last month the Department of Environment Water Land and Planning revealed it was expecting a new application for the project.
Objector Andrew Duynhoven said he just wanted the opportunity to voice his concerns with the state government planning minister Richard Wynne over the project which would be on his neighbour's property.
Flooding concerns, fire risk management and just what the "net community gain" of the project was for the region were his major concerns - issues he said were the basis for VCAT rejecting the application.
"At this stage there is no financial benefit to the Camperdown area," Mr Duynhoven said.
Last year Mr Duynhoven was toasting his victory at VCAT and said he had been living in hope that that was the end of the project.
"I never thought I'd get the VCAT to do what they did," he said.
He said he had expected the "best case scenario" from VCAT would have been the project to be approved but with strict conditions.
He said he was surprised when it was rejected.
He said he just wanted to be heard so that hopefully conditions could be put in place on the project if it did win approval from the government.
Mr Duynhoven said he was concerned about the political climate in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic that projects would be "rushed through" in the hope of stimulating the slower economy.
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