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Mayor's Message

The past week has been a momentous one for Bass Coast, with the announcement by the State Government of a desalination plant in the Shire.

By Bass Coast Shire Council - 25th June 2007 - Back to News

The Premier called on Tuesday morning to inform us the State Government had identified a preferred site within the Wonthaggi region for the location of the plant. This is an area on the coastline south of Dalyston. Further testing needs to be undertaken before this can be confirmed as the definite site for the plant. Local landowners have already been approached and asked for permission to carry out these tests on their land. If this site does not meet the requirements, we have been advised there are other locations within the Bass Coast area that may be suitable.

Once the site is finalised, the State Government will then purchase the required land. The Premier has given us an assurance that landowners will be fairly compensated.

We will do everything in our power to ensure that concerns regarding the impact of a desalination plant on the landscape, environment and the community are properly addressed.

Since last Tuesday’s announcement, we have had discussions with the State Government regarding the plant and the process for moving forward with the proposal. We are yet to receive details for community consultation on the process. The Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) will be handling the project and Council intends to work closely with them. We have already requested that a DSE officer be permanently based in our Council offices, to ensure that enquiries and concerns from our local community are adequately dealt with.

In addition, there have been discussions with the State Government about the benefits for Bass Coast as a result of this project. The Premier has agreed to additional funding for regional capital works and we are hopeful that details of this will be revealed shortly. The other obvious benefits of a project of this size are investment, jobs and security of the local water supply.

Your Council will be working very hard to ensure the community is kept fully informed on the project. We presently have information available on our website, including answers to Frequently Asked Questions, State Government media releases and links to www.ourwater.vic.gov.au, which has details of the Water Plan as well as copies of the feasibility studies undertaken. We will continue to link new information from the Government to our website to help people access information. Copies of the Frequently Asked Questions sheet are also available from our Customer Service Centres.

Cr Neville Goodwin

Bass Coast Shire Mayor

Source: www.gippsland.com

Published by: news@gippsland.com

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