The achievements of local businesses were celebrated on Saturday 18 June at the Slim Dusty Centre for the 2022 Macleay Valley Business Awards, which featured 25 award presentations.
Kempsey Shire Council won the Excellence in Sustainability Award and was highly commended in the Professional Services Award category for businesses with more than 20 employees.
The sustainability award is timely, as Council’s draft Sustainability and Resilience Strategy is being presented to Council at the June Meeting. This strategy has been created to guide a clear direction for improving environmental sustainability at a local level.
Congratulations to all businesses and the chamber for hosting a fantastic event.
Oven Mountain Pumped Hydro Energy Storage
At the May Meeting, Council confirmed to monitor and report on the potential impacts of the Oven Mountain Pumped Hydro Energy Storage, which is a proposed 600MW ‘off river’ development location on private land near the Macleay River between Armidale and Kempsey.
While the project is not in the Kempsey Shire, Council recognises the importance of continuing to remain informed and aware of both the potential positive and negative impacts on the community.
These include:
- Road access
- Water security and quality
- Public health
- Economic activity
- Aboriginal heritage and culture
- Natural environment
Council is being asked to provide a submission on these potential impacts to the state government once the Environmental Impact Statement is publicly exhibited and note the project update provided.
