West Gate Tunnel Project

Background

Maddingley Brown Coal (MBC), a landfill and mine site near Bacchus Marsh, has tendered to receive unclassified spoil generated from the West Gate Tunnel Project (WGTP). The proposal is to receive an estimated 1.5 million cubic metres of spoil on a 24/7 basis for the duration of the project, which is expected to be 18-24 months. It is proposed that spoil will be stored onsite in purpose-built storage bays, until analytical data is assessed for waste categorisation against EPA classifications.

EPA Approval

On Tuesday 1 September 2020, the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) approved an Environmental Management Plan (EMP) for MBC to accept, store and categorise contaminated soil from the WGTP. Further information can be found on the EPA website.

Current Status

The EPA’s approval is one step of a process. Another part of the process is an application which was made by MBC to the Minister for Planning to intervene, to prepare an amendment to the Moorabool Planning Scheme under section 20(4) of the Planning and Environment Act 1987 (Act).  Under this section of the Act, the Minister for Planning has the power to amend the planning scheme, without giving notice. The Minister for Planning still needs to assess the application to approve the proposal. If you want to try and have your concerns  heard you can contact the Minister for Planning, The Hon Richard Wynne. If the Planning Minister approves the proposal, it then needs to pass the Victorian Upper House before works can commence.

Another option you could consider if you have not already done so is to contact the local Members of Parliament and relevant Ministers. Some pertinent contacts are: 

Once the EPA and planning approvals have been granted, the West Gate Tunnel project team must then decide to whom to award the contract.

Below is the timeline of events and correspondence from Council to relevant Ministers and decision-makers.

Timeline

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