Greater Hume’s environmental and planning director Colin Kane.
GREATER Hume Council’s health and building surveyor Brad Peach will be removed from the regional planning panel assessing the Gerogery compost facility on conflict of interest grounds.
Panel chairwoman Pam Allen recommended Mr Peach be replaced because the compost facility development application will be assessed for the panel by his boss, Greater Hume’s environmental and planning director Colin Kane.
Mr Peach was one of the two Greater Hume representatives initially appointed to the panel.
The other is former mayor Denise Osborne.
Lockhart Council’s environmental services director Bob Crawford has been nominated as Mr Peach’s replacement.
The change will be raised at the Greater Hume monthly meeting tomorrow by Mr Kane.
“The removal of Brad Peach as a representative to the joint regional planning panel and the nomination of Bob Crawford will remove any actual or perceived conflict of interest associated with development applications being assessed internally by council staff,” Mr Kane said.
Mr Peach was part of the panel for the recent community forum at Gerogery.
No date has been set for the panel determination.
The final go-ahead for the compost facility will be made by the panel and not Greater Hume councillors due to the project costing $8.5 million.
Greater Hume hasn’t signed up to use the facility and won’t take a position on the proposal until the assessment report is completed.
The development application was lodged in October by Transpacific Cleanaway.
Residents have made it clear with councillors that they have concerns about odour, water contamination, fire risk and reduced property values if the project goes ahead.
Cleanaway signed a $50 million, 12-year contract last year for rubbish collection services for Albury, Wodonga, Corowa and Indigo councils.
Towong Council baulked at joining the service.
The proposal involves transporting 15,000 tonnes of organic waste each year to the proposed site.