Submission by shire praised

THE Shire of Yarra Ranges presented their submission at the Public Hearings for the Sugarloaf Interconnector Pipeline on Tuesday last week.
Councillors Jeanette McRae and Samantha Dunn and a number of Shire staff attended the hearing at the opulent settings of Chateau Yering.
Before the council’s presentation the chair of the advisory committee Kathryn Mitchell thanked the shire for their lodged written submission.
“The committee acknowledges the submission of the Shire of Yarra Ranges. It was very well put together and very clear about the issues the Shire is concerned about,” Ms Mitchell said.
“We do not believe that the Alliance has replied to the submission and will advise them to do so.”
Yarra Ranges Shire director of Environment and Engineering Simon Thomas highlighted the government’s lack of consultation with both the shire and community.
“Communication to date has been ‘ad hoc’ to say the least,” Mr Thomas said.
Manager of Civil Management Services for the shire, Mark Varmalis highlighted the added costs that the council would face during and after the project commenced.
He said that council liaison would be highly important during the project and asked the state government to provide a grant of $100,000 per annum to meet council staffing needs.
“We are also worried about the accelerated damage of our roads during the project,” Mr Varmalis said.
“These are country roads, made for country traffic, and the council will be seeking assistance from the government for road maintenance for 10 years after the project is complete.”
Mr Varmalis said that the added costs of the project should not fall on to council budgets.
Councillor Jeanette McRae spoke at the hearing on behalf of residents within the Ryrie Ward.
Cr McRae said the timeline given to community and council to respond to the PIA report was inadequate.
“I am not an expert, but I am an elected community representative,” Cr McRae said.
“And I believe that no matter which level of government, the democratic process should be undertaken. I don’t believe that this has happened in relation to the pipeline.”
She said that the “lack of assessment” and community consultation showed that the government was not taking a “holistic approach” to the project.
“It is very much a project on the run,” Cr McRae said.