FRIENDS of the Kiewa and Alpine Valleys have voiced their endorsement for the Alpine Shire Council’s plan to seek support from the State Government for significant landscape overlays.
Alpine Shire Council last week pledged to work together with other northeast councils to seek financial or direct support for more comprehensive significant landscape overlays in the region.
Alpine Shire chief executive officer Will Jeremy said council sees a significant link between land assessments and the transition into renewables.
“We feel exposed by the lack of significant overlays and the fact the government is running a process to determine where things might be sited,” he said.
“Our planning controls at the moment don’t provide an adequate oversight of where significant landscapes are and our concern is a decision will be made in the absence of that information.
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“We will lead that collaboration with other councils and, as a group, we’ll pitch our position to the state government.”
The pledge follows the Victorian Government's recently declaration of renewable energy facilities as Significant Economic Development projects, removing third-party appeals from their planning processes in an aim to meet Victoria’s renewable energy target of net zero by 2045.
Planning permits for renewable energy facilities, utility installations and associated subdivision will now be decided under a fast-track planning process.
Friends of the Kiewa and Alpine Valleys spokesperson Sharon McEvoy, said the group thinks it's an excellent pitch.
“Our understanding is that it is about declaring places such as Mt Buffalo and Falls Creek as areas of significance like the Grampians and the Great Ocean Road for example,” she said.
“Doing something like this may at least future proof our ridge lines from wind tower developments.
“Collaborating with other councils to make a pitch to the State Government sounds like a positive way to approach it.
“We understand the current significant landscape overlays appear to only relate to the valley floors and not the mountains and forested areas.
“Mr Jeremy’s statement about our area being a beautiful place that many people visit and move to for the landscape is spot on.
“This is one of the facets that we have been focused on in our presentations.
“The liveability and amenity of rural lifestyle blocks will be heavily impacted by renewable energy infrastructure if it infiltrates our valleys.
“One of our deep concerns is that renewable energy companies are driving around our valleys trying to sign up landholders and give no consideration to the already existing significant landscape overlays; they just sign them up anyway.
“We are yet to see if this has an impact on the decision to approve planning permits by the minister, time will tell, and we have no right of appeal through VCAT.
“Our fight is about the future of our Alpine valleys as a collective.
“It’s not like they can ever be replaced.”
