Proponents of a controversial feedlot project near Loomberah have been forced to put the scheme back through the development approval process, partly due to errors in the initial application.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The 1000-head Lloma feedlot is unpopular with many neighbouring landholders near Loomberah, who say the project would create an unpleasant odour and could affect the local groundwater
Goonoo Goonoo Pastoral Co owner Tony Haggarty said the company had been asked to provide a range of additional information regarding the project by Tamworth Regional Council.
But Mr Haggarty also admitted some of the information in the earlier DA was incorrect.
READ MORE:
"We haven't changed the project," he said.
"There were a couple of errors in the [original statement of environmental effects], one was the transport route which was incorrect in the original statement of environmental effects. We've corrected that. That was our fault and we've fixed it. Otherwise it was just more information. The additional work we've done doesn't indicate to us that there's any problem with the project."
The updated application also includes an odour study, to allay fears the feedlot will create a big stink.
Neighbouring landholder Wayne Collison said he believes the project is still in the wrong place and that even the updated DA doesn't "cover off" a number of issues, including the smell.
"Our main concerns are odour, the bit of traffic and we're also deeply concerned about the possibility of contaminants entering local water, either ground water or surface water," he said.
"We've had a number of rainfall events since he lodged the original DA in December where there's been a lot of runoff from everywhere. Even if his [runoff capture systems] are up to standard that they would be able to catch and stop the contaminants from reaching local surface and groundwaters. Even if he meet the standards for what he's building, the rainfall that we've had recently show that there are rainfall events outside the average."
The Loomberah property upgrade was initially submitted in December last year. It's expected to cost about $840,000.
Proponent Goonoo Goonoo Pastoral Pty Ltd hopes to produce grass fed beef for meat production.
The community has until July 9 to make submissions on the updated project.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Bookmark northerndailyleader.com.au
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Instagram
- Follow us on Google News