A STATE Government decision on whether to approve the proposed Kongwak Butter Factory development is likely to be announced soon, with Michael Knowles of the Save Kongwak Group urging locals with concerns to make a submission as soon as possible.
While Michael and others have objected to many aspects of the intended development, he has now raised concern with the developers’ plans to locate vast water tanks and a wastewater treatment plant at the corner of Church and Brownes Roads.
Butter Factory owners Damien Backholer and Gemma Cosgriff expressed surprise that the water tanks have now been raised as an issue, arguing that wasn’t done during community consultation a year ago or following the public notice period over two months ago.
Three of the water tanks are shown in the Kongwak Butter Factory Master Plan, dated June 2024, as being intended to have a capacity of 1 megalitre (1 million litres) each, one of those holding potable water and the others water for irrigation.
Two smaller tanks, totalling 330,000 litres of “effective capacity” are shown as being available for firefighting purposes, being used for the butter factory’s hydrant system.
While the Kongwak Butter Factory Master Plan shows the placement of the water tanks and wastewater treatment plant and the capacity of the tanks, it doesn’t provide any dimensions for the structures.
Michael expressed concern that there is no image provided in the plans that shows how the water tanks will look in their intended setting.
“3D renderings were provided for all other aspects of the development, but the tanks were shown just from above in one drawing,” he said.
He has created a digital mock-up of how he believes the water tanks could impact the view from the local church.
While Michael originally worked on the assumption the one megalitre tanks would be built to a height of nine metres, arguing that is the maximum building height in South Gippsland Shire, he has since received confirmation the tanks will be lower and wider than he anticipated.
“The applicant has advised that the water tanks at their largest, would have a diameter of approximately 18m and height of approximately 4m, in a galvanised iron,” he was advised in an email from the Department of Transport and Planning (DTP).
That makes the diameter of the one megalitre tanks 6m wider than Michael originally forecast.
While far lower than he feared, he said those tanks would still be “huge and a blight on the landscape”.
In their written statement to the Sentinel-Times on Sunday regarding the water tank situation, Gemma and Damien elaborated on the tank plans.
“Three tanks are proposed for rainwater storage to be used for service water and irrigation, and these may be between 500kL and 1ML and up to 4m high, with the size to be determined during detailed design,” they said.
“There is also 300kL of rainwater storage for fire water as part of the plans.”
The Butter Factory owners stressed that all water tanks will be suitably screened from key vantage points using vegetation.
“We have carefully considered visual amenity associated with all elements of our plans, and encourage anyone who would like to understand more to look at our website or the planning documentation on the DTP planning portal,” they stated.
Michael said a Save Kongwak Group member has been advised a decision on the Butter Factory plans is likely to be announced in November this year.
Michael has a Spring Street meeting on November 6 organised through the DTP.
While members of the Save Kongwak Group have previously argued that South Gippsland Shire Council should be responsible for determining whether to approve the Kongwak Butter Factory development, they have had no joy on that front.
Council has been bypassed under the Victorian Government’s Development Facilitation Program (DFP).
Council’s Renae Littlejohn has previously elaborated on the DFP.
“The Minister for Planning has the authority to make decisions on applications that are part of the Development Facilitation Program, an accelerated assessment pathway for priority projects in identified sectors, including those that are viewed as having significant economic benefits,” Renae said early this year while she was acting CEO.
Comments on the proposed Kongwak Butter Factory development can be sent to development.approvals@transport.vic.gov.au.
