AN objection will be lodged against the Meadow Creek Solar Farm by the Rural City of Wangaratta Council if councillors move a motion recommending it on Tuesday night.
A recommendation to make a submission to the Department of Transport and Planning objecting to the issue has been made by a council planning department officer on the basis the development is not located in a suitable location.
A broad range of objection topics include protection of agricultural land; appropriate siting and land use compatibility; rural landscape character and facilitation of tourism; water catchment considerations; biodiversity and protection of native vegetation; and traffic management and drainage.
The application is for a 566-hectare site in Meadow Creek and will involve the loss of more than 2ha of native vegetation, including 33 large trees.
The removal and losses include both direct removal and consequential losses associated with the development of the facility itself and for access upgrades and the installation of the transmission lines.
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State and local policy seeks to ensure that applications for the removal of native vegetation demonstrate that they have sought to avoid and minimise vegetation losses.
Further, local policy also seeks to protect scattered paddock trees as they are important for the retention of habitat.
For example, leading objector and nearby resident Jess Conroy snapped a photo of a rare golden brushtail possum near the site on Friday.
Are endangered or protected species have been known to live in the area.
The possible objection by council comes after it decided earlier this year to appeal legislation that allows the State Government to fast-track renewable energy facilities, and to support the protection of agricultural land.
Meanwhile, Ovens Valley MP Tim McCurdy and shadow minister for planning James Newbury met with about 80 locals at the Bobinawarra Hall, encouraging them to make a submission to the application last Friday.
They invited Minister for Planning Sonya Kilkenny to attend the forum, however, she did not respond.
"The community has been against it for two years and all they wanted to do is get the government to listen to them," Mr McCurdy said on Friday.
"We've got 14 days before the application closes and people can put in their objection - that's why we're encouraging everybody to put their objections in over the next 10 to 14 days."
Ms Newbury was vocal on the removal of the VCAT appeals process with renewable energy facilities and guaranteed that if the Liberals National Coalition is returned the office this would be reinstated.
While Mr Newbury wouldn't comment on the details of the planning application and potential red flags as they are in the middle of the process, he said the most important red flag is that "the government won't talk to the community".
Tuesday night's October council meeting will take place at the Wangaratta Government Centre chambers from 6pm.
