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St. Arnaud, Charlton, Wedderburn & Surrounding Districts
Est. 1864
18 Napier Street, St. Arnaud. 3478. - Advertising & Editorial Material - Ph.: (03) 5495 1055; Fax.: (03) 5495 1937. Email: ncn@iinet.net.au Published weekly. Registered by Australia Post, Publication No. VAC 4217.
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WEDNESDAY AUGUST 16th 2023.
Circulating in:- St. Arnaud, Charlton, Donald, Rupanyup, Bealiba, Stawell, Marnoo, Navarre, Dunolly, Wycheproof, Wedderburn, Birchip, Korong Vale, Stuart Mill, Redbank, Avoca & Moonambel.
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Major stakeholder views still being ignored by Parks Victoria NORTHERN Grampians Shire Council (NGSC) has written to the Minister for Environment, Ingrid Stitt, regarding the Upper Teddington Reservoir earmarked by Parks Victoria for decommissioning and has indicated that Parks Victoria have disregarded the community, who have not been involved in any decision to decommission. Council was alarmed to hear that Parks Victoria recent statement stating the decommissioning was going ahead, indicating that no further outcomes that would deliver a better outcome for the community are to be considered. Although Council appreciates that the standard of water storage must keep the risk to as low as possible but the Consequence Assessment did find that remediating the embarkment with a full height filter buttress would be costly but would reduce the risk to ALARP [at low as reasonably possible]. Council states in their letter that ‘it seems unusual that a report published on 13 July 2021 where the viability of decommissioning is questioned and advice is provided elsewhere in the report that the cost estimates should not be used for budget purposes, that
Above: Supporters of the Save Upper Teddington gathered at the “no water no life” sign painted on the dam wall in July 2023. decommissioning proceeded as part of a State Budget Submission to the Department of Treasury and Finance as part of the round one inputs for the 2022-23 Victorian State Budget in September 2021”. The letter also notes that the consequence of decommissioning on the Lower Teddington Reservoir and the additional run-off into the Strathfillan Creek would impact on the residents of Stuart Mill, with the Lower Reservoir becoming the only
impounding storage for all future inflows to the catchment. Council believes that Parks Victoria’s failure to manage the Upper Reservoir by not clearing saplings under the water level is already having the knock-on effect of providing the Stuart Mill community with black water in town storage in the Lower Teddington Reservoir. The letter notes that Mark Williams, Managing Director of Grampians Wimmera
Mallee Water (GWMWater) stated in a meeting with NGSC that it would be sub-optimal to decommission Upper Teddington as it is a key catchment in the Wimmera Avoca Basin. NGSC is seeking a meeting with the Minister as a matter of urgency to discuss the matter further. North Central News is unaware if any response has been received to this letter dated 11 July 2023.
Great Western residents to take planning approval decision to VCAT ‘REST in peace Great Western’ was the loudly spoken phrase of an exiting member of the Public gallery at last week’s Northern Grampians Shire Council (NGSC) meeting last week.
Above: The architect’s drawing in the planning application for the development in Main Street Great Western.
But far from giving up and allowing Great Western to rest in peace, the objectors to the planning application’s approval are now going to take their fight to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) to have the approval overturned. The planning application has been approved for the construction of a two
Above: ‘Salingers’, which sits in front of the proposed development on a corner, is an example of the heritage-style buildings that residents say they prefer for their main street. storey, 59-room hotel with an underground car park in the centre of the village precinct in Great Western. In a response simi-
lar to the St. Arnaud objections to the development of units in Bowen Street St. Arnaud community members believed that
the planning application was not in keeping with what they saw as the character of the village. • Cont. on page 3.