Greater Geelong councillors
have provided the following comments in response to the update issued by the
Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPA) on 8 August 2019 regarding the
waste stockpile at Broderick Road, Lara.
The EPA update is available here.
Mayor Bruce Harwood:
We welcome news from the EPA that they hope to begin removing material from the
site in the next few weeks.Although this will be a long and difficult process, there is now some assurance
for the community that work is being done and a full clean-up will eventually
be achieved.In the meantime, the City of Greater Geelong will continue to place community
safety as its highest priority by continuing measures to guard against fire,
including 24/7 security, onsite firefighting equipment and secure perimeter
fencing.
Councillor Kylie Grzybek,
Windermere Ward:
This issue has justifiably caused the communities in Lara and our
northern suburbs a lot of concern, and they’ll be relieved to see waste starting
to be removed.We acknowledge the EPA’s statement that the clean-up must be very carefully
planned and carried out to ensure the safety of the community and those working
at the site. At the same time, we look forward to seeing the stockpile fully
cleared in the shortest timeframe possible.It’s also pleasing to see the EPA planning a community information forum during
September. I encourage residents to keep an eye out for details of this event.
Councillor Anthony
Aitken, Windermere Ward:
We welcome the EPA announcement
today.It addresses the confusion in the community about who
is cleaning the site up by making it clear that the EPA is the responsible authority
and leading the operation and not the council.A commitment of three
years is the first time we have received a timeframe and I am pleased that this
appears reasonable and achievable. The community probably wishes for a quicker
turnaround but the EPA has now thoroughly investigated the task and this is
their best estimate.It’s a shame the person
responsible for this is not in jail but today’s announcement is another
positive step towards cleaning up the site and meeting the community
expectation about the environment they live and work in.
