General News
25 July, 2022
Third proposed broiler farm headed to council
The Central Goldfields Shire Council will tonight decide whether to approve the application for a new 400,000 bird broiler farm in Carisbrook without public consultation. The officer’s report that will be tabled at tonight’s meeting recommends...
The Central Goldfields Shire Council will tonight decide whether to approve the application for a new 400,000 bird broiler farm in Carisbrook without public consultation.
The officer’s report that will be tabled at tonight’s meeting recommends councillors approve the application, which would see the new broiler farm built at 683 and 705 Baringhup Road, Carisbrook.
The proposal is for the construction of six sheds which would be built in parallel with a gap of 16 metres between them, with each shed standing at 4.7 metres in height.
The proposed farm would operate 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year, and while the proposed facility’s address is Baringhup Road, entrance to the site would be via Hurses Lane.
The report recommends that along with approving the permit, councillors attach 43 conditions to it, including limits to the number of birds at the site, how waste products are removed and the general appearance of the buildings.
The application will go to the meeting without being advertised to the public as under the Victorian Code for Broiler Farms 2009 (plus 2018 amendments), the proposed farm falls under class A requirements meaning it is exempt from notice requirements.
This means the application was not advertised to the owners and occupiers of surrounding land because the Victorian Government’s provisions within the planning scheme explicitly prevented it.
According to the report that will be tabled at tonight’s meeting, the proposed farm falls under class A requirements as its capacity is between 10,000 and 400,000 birds and the minimum separation distance requirement between the broiler farm and neighbouring buildings is fully contained within the farm boundary.
The report further states that although the proposed development will be visible from surrounding viewpoints, the appearance of the buildings “protects the rural character” of the area and visual impacts “are acceptable in the context and will diminish over time as the proposed landscaping matures and becomes established”.
The proposal outlines plans to treat and dispose of effluence on-site as well as a design to implement sustainable land management practices, while also generating employment in the community.
If approved, the broiler farm will be the third in that area of Carisbrook, with other farms located at 396 Bald Hill Road and at 3080 Pyrenees Highway.
Tonight’s council meeting will begin at 6 pm at the Maryborough Community Hub and will also be livestreamed on council’s Facebook page.