A CONTENTIOUS bid by a scrap metal business in North Albury to expand will finally be presented to Albury Council for a decision later this month.
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The proposal by Immix in Metry Street to increase the range of materials stored on site and also modify operating hours to include Monday to Saturday between 7.30am to 10pm was submitted two years ago.
The proposal went before council's planning and development committee on Monday night, but it deferred the matter until council meets on July 24.
Council staff recommended the proposal be approved, but with changed operating hours of Monday to Friday 7am to 7pm.
Just five of the nine councillors were present at this week's council meeting with the proposal generating strong opposition from neighbouring businesses with noise being high on their list of concerns.
In 2014, the company gained approval for the installation of bulk storage bunkers and associated infrastructure.
In addition to only swarf materials, the company wants to store bulk swarf, scrap metals and resultant waste metal materials from any reductive manufacturing process including grinding, cutting, laser and water jet cutting, router, drilling and boring.
Materials will be processed into baled compacted blocks on an adjoining site in Metry Street before being dispatched to capital cities for recycling.
A detailed noise assessment report was received by council which identified the potential impacts of cumulative noise from the two sites as a “critical issue”.
Subsequently, a noise management plan has been drafted.
It includes no more than four shipping containers be prepared, loaded and dispatched between 7am and 7pm; no significant noise producing activities undertaken on the site between 7am and 7pm other than those associated with the loading of four containers; ancillary activities maybe undertaken with all due care between 7pm and 10pm and no activity be undertaken at the site between 10pm and 7am.