Salvos deny consent

By SHAUN INGUANZO
THE Salvation Army is denying it has agreed to 300,000 cubic metres of landfill being dumped on its property in The Basin.
A planning application submitted by Nunawadingbased Eastern Plant Hire proposed that rock, clay, dirt, and sand be deposited on pristine farming land in The Basin.
The site is currently a drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility owned by the Salvation Army.
It is proposed that up to 100 trucks would transport up to 500 cubic metres of the landfill six days a week over a three year period to the site.
News of the application last week angered Knox City Council councillor Ben Smith, the Knox Environment Society, and the Salvation Army, with all three parties objecting to the landfill.
But Eastern Plant Hire director David Wilson this week said that there had been an agreement between his company and the Salvation Army after the charity group had approached Eastern Plant Hire ‘several years ago’ to address issues of flooding on the farm’s low lying land.
“It was projected for us to raise the level of the farm so the land was more useable and would not hold water,” he said.
Mr Wilson said he felt Eastern Plant Hire had been unfairly targeted in press reports.
“I just want to explain that Eastern Plant Hire has been portrayed as being the perpetrator and to be the evil person among all this. We have just had our name on the application.”
Mr Wilson said the company had not yet decided whether it would withdraw the application.
He described the company’s relationship with the Salvation Army as being on ‘good talking terms’.
But the Salvation Army’s national communications director John Dalziel denied the claims. “I can categorically say that the Salvation Army did not approve anything.”
Mr Dalziel said the Salvation Army had sent a letter to Knox City Council stating it did not back the application.
He said the purpose of filling in the land to prevent flooding was not an issue for the rehabilitation farm. “Floods can happen but the land is used for cows for heaven’s sake.”
He said the matter was still in the Salvation Army’s solicitors’ hands.
Chandler Ward councillor Ben Smith said council had officially refused to permit the application.
He said reasons for the refusal were that the landfill did not fit the objectives of the Knox Planning Scheme and would have a detrimental impact on the environment and neighbouring recreational amenities.