The upcoming Alpine Shire Council meeting on Tuesday, 25 February has had a change in location, and will now be held at the Mount Beauty Community Centre.
Originally scheduled to be held in Bright, Council's Chief Executive Officer, Will Jeremy, said the location has been changed due to Council considering a report regarding Mint Renewables' proposal for a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) in Dederang.
"Council is not the decision maker for this project - the Department of Transport and Planning (DTP) is responsible for assessing the proposal," Mr Jeremy said.
"At the February meeting, however, Councillors will be considering a report addressing Council's submission to the State Government regarding the BESS proposal.
"We know this topic is of great interest to the Kiewa Valley community – especially those in Dederang - so have made the decision to relocate the meeting to Mount Beauty to ensure the meeting is more accessible to locals who are interested in attending."
Community members can find more information on the Mint Renewables project via the Victorian Government’s Ministerial Permits Register here: www.planning.vic.gov.au/planning-approvals/ministerial-permits-register/ministerial-permits/e85453b1-6896-ef11-8a69-00224898fcec
Mr Jeremy reminded community members that formal submissions could still be made to DTP up until Thursday, 13 February 2025 and encouraged people to have their say.
"You can make a submission by emailing it to development.approvals@transport.vic.gov.au," he said.
"If residents wish, they can also send a copy of their submission to Council by Thursday, 13 February to help Councillors gain a better understanding of community viewpoints on the issue."
Mr Jeremy said while Council meetings in Mount Beauty are usually held at the Auditorium, the Community Centre was the preferred option for the upcoming meeting.
"The Community Centre is able to fit a much larger gallery of people than the Auditorium, and is also equipped with better information and communication technology, which assists us with both livestreaming and recording the meeting," Mr Jeremy said.
"If the space works well for this month's meeting, we may continue to use the Community Centre as our meeting location for Mount Beauty moving forward."
The February Council Meeting will begin at 5pm on Tuesday, 25 February 2025. The full meeting agenda will be published on Council's website by 5pm on Friday, 21 February 2025.
Any questions on notice must be submitted to info@alpineshire.vic.gov.au by 5pm on Monday, 24 February 2025, and must relate to a topic on the meeting's agenda.