Broilers are on the boil

CATANI’S fight against a broiler farm in McCraws Road looks to be a lost cause, with councillors voting to amend their refusal to grant a planning permit when the matter is heard at VCAT next month.
Cardinia councillors prohibited the original application as it did not comply with the Victorian Code for Broiler Farms 2009, primarily due to the separation distance covering more than 50 per cent of the adjoining lot to the east.
The applicant then took the matter to VCAT and a hearing has been scheduled for three days starting on 11 January.
Councillor Stuart Halligan said a set of amended plans have now been circulated by the applicant which show the broiler farm separation distances covering just less than the 50 per cent coverage limit.
“In the meantime, the revised plans show that the applicant has moved sheds, and discussed ways to limit the amount of truck movements,” Cr Halligan said.
“Now that it complies with the Broiler Code it doesn’t give us much room to move.”
The original application was advertised and the council received 34 objections to the proposal. The major change is that the sheds have now been moved 200 metres to the west of the property.
The proposal still includes the construction of a 350,000 bird broiler farm consisting of seven sheds which will contain 50,000 bird each, a dwelling, machinery shed, staff building, water tanks, feed silos and earthworks associated with a dam.