Information relating to the impacts of the proposed Altus Pellet Plant near the Mount Gambier Regional Airport is still up in the air.

Grant District Council elected members were updated on the pellet plant with particular attention relating to the potential impacts on the current operation as well as future expansion of the airport.

Mayor Richard Sage called for a special meeting last week to discuss the pellet plant.

Discussion included the approach to the State Planning Commission (SPC), Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) and the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA).

At the meeting Mayor Sage said he wanted the future expansion of the airport to be taken into consideration before the plant received building approval.

“The possibility of a plant could interrupt or affect planes coming in,” he said.

Council Environmental Services director Leith McEvoy provided an update from the SPC at the meeting.

He said the commission was “a bit uncertain trying to clarify” the approach taken by the EPA in regard to the development and the information provided to the commission and how it related to the current operation and future expansion of the airport.

“The applicant (Altus) currently has a valid planning consent. There has been no further consideration from or in consultation with CASA,” Mr McEvoy said.

“I note the process did not require formal consultation with CASA.”

Meanwhile, Mr McEvoy also pursued clarification from the SPC about the status of the reserve matters.

“The reserve matters concern Hutchinson Road (at Mingbool) being upgraded and intersection onto the Riddoch Highway have not yet been addressed,” he said.

Mr McEvoy said until the reserve matters had been finalised the development does not proceed to a building rules consent.

“I believe the company will probably do that through a private certifier. Following that, the Planning Commission will issue development approval for it. So, it’s still only got planning consent,” he said.

“We then asked for clarification about the decision notification form and the conditions of the reserve matters.

“The incumbents have filed a notice of discontinuance in early February concerning that appeal and we are not privy to that outcome. So, the conditions did not advise us any further on that particular matter.

“A status of full approval is unknown. There has been no contact with the SPC from the applicant since the Third-Party Appeal was lodged.”

Mr McEvoy said Altus could not apply for building rules consent until they resolved the reserve matters.

“It’s one reserve matter, but it deals with both the road and the intersection,” he said.

“They have already started work on preliminary design work and will come back to us shortly with preferred option of those works.”

Mr McEvoy said he had taken notes at a public meeting held at Mount Gambier City Hall in November.

“Members of the commission made no reference and no questions asked of the EPA about the airport,” he said.

Mr McEvoy reported areas of concern had been listed in correspondence from the EPA.

“Primary areas of concern were air quality, noise, storm water management, domestic waste water, industrial waste water, sedimentation basin, waste water management, storm water run-off and collection, contamination of storm water,” he said.

He added that under the Planning, Development and Infrastructure Act there was no formal requirement to consult with CASA on such developments.

However, Mr McEvoy said the SPC Assessment Panel had taken on board the advice that was provided from CASA.

“A letter from CASA was part of the documents that went to the SPC,” he said.

“Those documents do say they do not believe it will impact on the current operations of the airport. I cannot speak for future scenarios.

“They dealt with aviation facilities within the vicinity of the airport, the plume and parameters of the boiler stack and they looked at the worst-case scenario.

“They referred to documents and standards and so on. CASA considers there will be an acceptable level of safety for the plume. They looked at height of structures, they looked at site lighting.

“Based on the information presented from the applicant’s consultants, CASA has no objections to the development.”

Meanwhile, council chief executive Darryl Whicker said he had posed questions to CASA and was awaiting their response.

“I think once we get that information it will answer a great deal of what we have talked about,” he said.