First of four solar farm proposals in Greater Hume referred to IPC

The Department of Planning Industry and Environment has officially referred the Walla Walla Solar Farm to the NSW Independent Planning Commission.

The IPC is expected to make a determination within 12 weeks and will give opportunities for members of the public to comment.

In a referral letter dated October 1, planning and assessment group deputy secretary Marcus Ray said the Department considered the project approvable, after changes were made.

"The Department has considered this information in detail during its assessment and supports the proposed amendments as they would significantly reduce the impacts," he said.

Conditions of consent proposed by DPIE would limit daily heavy vehicle movements to 45 during construction and five during operation.

The Department has also proposed that vegetation screening should minimise views for four properties within three years of the development commencing operation.

An assessment report completed last month has been uploaded to the DPIE and IPC websites, noting there were 150 submissions to FRV Services Australia's proposal for a 300 megawatt farm.

The panels would be up to four metres high, considered "relatively low-lying" by the Department.

Of a project site of 605 hectares, of which 76 per cent is used for sheep grazing and 24 per cent for cropping, there will be a 421-hectare development footprint.

"The Department considers that the project would not significantly reduce the overall agricultural productivity of the region and that the inherent agricultural capability of the site would not be affected," the report states.

"The Department also notes that more than 94 ha of the most productive agricultural land on site would be retained for rotational cropping.

"The Department supports FRV's amended layout which has removed project infrastructure from the southeast corner of the site to minimise visual impacts on Orange Grove Gardens (a wedding and function venue), and considers that there would be no significant long-term visual impacts on surrounding residences."

The $399 million project is expected to create 250 jobs.

It was noted that there could be cumulative visual and noise impacts if it is built alongside the Culcairn Solar Farm, but both were considered by DPIE to be "not significant".

The Department is yet to publish an assessment report for the Culcairn project or refer it to the IPC.

At an extraordinary council meeting this week, Greater Hume Council agreed to the terms of a draft voluntary planning agreement with the Culcairn Solar Farm developer, Neoen.

Environment and planning director Colin Kane said a final agreement would only be locked in after a decision about the solar farm was made.

"If one of these solar farms, and I'm talking generally now - not Neoen particularly, was to be refused by the IPC, there's no reason to exhibit the VPA because it's not going to happen," he said.

"So after the determination, there will be a public exhibition process.

"Those comments will be brought back to council and the Department, and then the VPA would be made.

"There's still quite a lot of negotiations to be done."

The Council could receive more than $9 million through the VPA and a community benefits fund.

Mr Kane said the DPIE had expressed to council there should be a distance limit, expected to be 15 kilometres or so, for what projects could benefit from the fund.

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"Tonight is just to determine whether we're happy with that mix of funding and whether we're happy with the quantum of funding," he said.

"The mechanics around how the community benefit fund would be set up and what the projects will be for the VPA portion will come at a later date."

Neoen originally requested the VPA be considered in a closed council meeting but it was decided an open council was the best forum.

VPA draft arrangements are being made for the four proposed solar farm projects.

Councillor Doug Meyer stressed that such arrangements were separate to council's formal position and part of the planning process.

"We have not opposed VPAs or community benefit funds - we've always looked at that as being a totally separate issue," he said.

The Council has formally objected to each project, raising concerns about the loss of agricultural land, and to trigger a determination by the IPC instead of DPIE.