By Tanya Steele
Greener futures at the cost of greener pastures have seen a sizeable chunk of land come up for possible changes in use in The Basin.
Engage Victoria opened an engagement process for land in The Basin in late October which proposes changes to a planning scheme to allow for the building of a solar facility in the area – potential changes which not all are happy with.
The Minister for Planning is reviewing whether to prepare, adopt, and approve draft Knox planning scheme amendment C202knox for a solar energy facility at 49 Basin-Olinda Road in The Basin.
Consultation is being conducted in accordance with section 20(5) of the Planning and Environment Act 1987.
The engagement is due to close by 29 November and local Lynette Hayhurst said she has many reasons for disagreeing with the proposed plans.
“This land is in the Knox Green Wedge zone and has caveats that restrict its use to preserve the natural beauty of this land,” she said.
“Knox City Council has worked hard with the community’s full support to maintain this natural beauty which is loved not only by locals but the many visitors to The Basin.”
Proposed plans by Chadwick Architecture and Interiors show plans for the amendment and give visuals on how the solar farm will be situated.
Local online noticeboards have begun discussing the proposals and are concerned about the orientation and height of the panels.
The amendment has been made at the request of Perry Town Planning on behalf of the Salvation Army Property Trust.
Originally owned by David Dobson, the second European settler in the area in February 1897, Mr Dobson sold the majority of the property to the Salvation Army, who gradually purchased adjacent properties.
The area has been a point of pride for locals who love the views of the Dandenong Ranges and Basin paddocks.
“In 2021 a petition was organized in The Basin to gauge community concern about the potential development of the Basin paddocks for commercial use and the results showed overwhelming support to maintain the land in its natural beauty,” said Ms Hayhurst.
“These results were sent to The Salvation Army, Knox City Council, MP Jackson Taylor and other related bodies. The results were a resounding no to any development that would take away from the natural beauty of the area,” she said.
According to Knox City Council built form documents from 2016, The Basin paddocks are registered with the National Trust.
“The Basin NAC has a strong visual connection to the Dandenong Ranges and the basin paddocks. The basin paddocks are registered with the National Trust, a non-statutory body with an interest in preserving local and state cultural heritage. These views of the Dandenongs and basin paddocks (Salvation Army land) contribute significantly to a unique, semi-rural village,” read the document.
“The local and broader community and The Knox City Council clearly do not want this stunning scenery to be developed with housing, solar farms or anything else that will forever change this treasure, green wedge and precious cultural heritage,” said Ms Hayhurst.
“To proceed would be to go completely against the community’s clear position on this historic piece of land,” she said.
The amendment’s explanatory report said the amendments will provide environmental, economic and social benefits by ‘realising the opportunity for renewable energy generation in this location in a manner that respects the green wedge.’
“Notably, this policy includes a strategy to ‘provide opportunities for renewable energy generation,” read the report.
Supporting documents for the engagement online state The Basin Solar Farm is intended to generate electricity that will directly offset the existing operations of the Salvation Army on-site as well as distributing it to the National Electricity Market (NEM).
The Department of Transport said in the documents that a future amendment is required to address the identified anomaly in the SUZ1 which requires consultation with Knox City Council.
The explanatory report stated the overall environmental impact will be positive and will facilitate the delivery of renewable energy infrastructure in Victoria, contributing to the state target towards net zero emissions for 2050.
Noise impacts, potential for employment during construction, bushfire risk, environmental impacts and more are also discussed in the supporting documents, Star Mail will have more to follow as the engagement continues.
For people wishing to know more about the engagement you can discuss the matter further by contacting Development Approvals and Design at the Department of Transport and Planning by email at priority.projects@transport.vic.gov.au
Engagement closes on 29 November.
