WWCC decided to protect local farmland from the threat of solar farms. Photo: Jarryd Rowley.
A gallery full of local farmers cheered Wagga Wagga City Council (WWCC) as it voted to strengthen protections against the building of solar farms on prime farmland at its meeting on Monday (10 February).
At its previous meeting in January, WWCC supported a motion that it commission a report exploring the development of large-scale solar farms within the shire.
Councillors Tim Koschel, Richard Foley and Alana Condron sought to overturn this motion on Monday, due to concerns that it did not adequately protect high-value agricultural land from future renewable energy projects.
A majority of councillors agreed with the trio’s move to rescind (strike out) this motion and replace it with a new motion that allowed WWCC workers to conduct a report on which legal avenues it can take to protect certain areas of land.
Cr Foley, who is also running as a candidate for The Citizens Party at the federal election, expressed his immense support behind the new motion, stating that it is a clear and simple issue focused on protecting valuable agricultural land.
“The previous motion that was rescinded dealt with a completely different matter, and what we’re asking for now is simply a report on how to safeguard our best food-producing land from being misused,” he said.
“The solution is obvious. There is no need to place solar farms on our best agricultural land when there are better alternatives; these projects should be prioritised on rooftops, cars, industrial zones and marginal land areas.”
The previous rescinded resolution requested that council receive a report investigating the establishment of a reference group that could include relevant stakeholders such as farmers, energy experts, state planning authorities, and the Department of Planning and Environment.
It also asked to identify partnerships and investment opportunities with companies focused on solar waste management, circular design, decommissioning and rehabilitation suitable for the Special Activation Precinct.
The updated motion removed the call for the establishment of a reference group and instead has called for council to investigate legal protections of any land that could be affected by the implementation of solar farms.
The approved new motion requests that council recognise community concerns within the Wagga Wagga local government area (LGA) and the broader Riverina about large-scale solar energy generation (solar farm) developments on prime agricultural land, including arable farmland and quality livestock-grazing areas.
The new motion also requested WWCC receive a report within two months that outlines the legal avenues available (if any) that council can take to protect high-quality agricultural land.
Cr Amelia Parkins did not vote on the motion after declaring a conflict of interest due to her standing on the Southern Regional Planning Panel, which provides advice on planning decisions. But she said the decision to rescind the original motion from her fellow councillors was disappointing.
“I was really pleased with the amendment that got through last time because what that did was allowed for the potential forming of a reference group with all relevant stakeholders in order to have discussion around the potential of renewable energy sources, whether they go ahead or not,” she said.
“It would have then fed into the preparation of a policy document that would have been specifically Wagga LGA-focused. The decision to rescind that motion is disappointing and unhelpful.”
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