Toxic knockback

By Lia Bichel
APPLAUSE erupted from the gallery during Monday night’s council meeting as councillors rejected a planning permit for a controversial contaminated soil treatment facility in Dandenong South.
Members of Residents Against Toxic Waste in the South East (RATWISE) sat eagerly throughout the meeting awaiting council’s decision on a matter they had been advocating against for months.
RATWISE member and past chairwoman Geraldine Gonsalvez said she felt a sense of relief when the councillors voted eight to two to conduct an independent study and supported a recommendation that Renex’s application be rejected – just weeks after EPA indicated its support by granting a works approval for the site.
“I am very happy,” she said.
“There has been a positive turnaround at long last. I was very concerned because we are exasperated by hazardous uses at close proximity without paying attention to health and safety.”
Many councillors shared Ms Gonsalvez’s concerns about the potential health hazards which could accompany the facility.
Councillor Jim Memeti called for a health study to be done in the residential area near Ormond Road and councillor Peter Brown said though he thought Renex offered a good proposal, the difficulty lay in the site.
But councillor John Kelly, who supported the application with councillor Youhorn Chea, said the Renex application for Ormond Road was in the correct Industrial Zone 2 and also spoke about similar facilities around the world.
Cr Kelly said he was not aware of any health issues faced by surrounding residents of these overseas facilities.
Councillor Roz Blades said the overall feeling from the community “was that this is the wrong site for this application.”
“I think it is wise and sensible to refuse this permit,” she said.
In case the planning permit was challenged in the future, Cr Brown said he believed the council needed solicitors to help defend their argument.
Councillors unanimously agreed.
Renex director Marinos Angelodemuo was at the meeting and said he was disappointed with the outcome but was exploring other options for the facility.
“We are looking at all our options and receiving further advice from various advisers and consultants,” he said.
“We will be making a decision about what our next steps are in the near future.”
Mr Angelodemuo said one of the options they were considering was taking the matter to VCAT.