The Galong community may soon be benefitting from a $240,000 yearly windfall after a resolution was passed at Tuesday night’s Hilltops meeting to place the Voluntary Planning Agreement on exhibition for 28 days. In negotiating the voluntary planning agreement with the management of Sibelco, management of Harden Shire Council assessed the life time impact of the increased haulage volumes on the road network, the improvements required to safely permit the increased volumes and the overall cost to the community.  The costs of these works were calculated over the expected life of the road network, allowing for maintenance and appropriate upgrades where necessary, taking account of the existing road carrying capacity and volumes. Similarly community infrastructure benefits in the form of upgrades to community facilities were also costed over the life of the development to provide a contribution figure applicable under the planning agreement.
It is a requirement of legislation, that prior to a voluntary planning agreement becoming operational it must be signed by both parties, and be placed on public exhibition with an explanatory note for a period of no less than 28 days. The attached voluntary planning agreement is the negotiated agreement that has been drafted with changes made as suggested by Council’s legal advisors.
This agreement will be the second agreement into which the former Harden Shire Council has entered; the other being with Tegra Australia in 2011. In the Tegra Agreement the Mayor and General Manager were given delegation by Council to sign the agreement. However in this instance it is suggested for probity that the General Manager and Administrator be given delegated authority to sign the agreement as the Acting General Manager as the Director Environmental Services undertook the assessment of the application that provided for the imposition of the voluntary planning agreement and has been instrumental in the drafting of the agreement. The Hilltops Council and more to the piont the Galong community will recieve $0.75 per tonne of product which leaves the site each year. This equates to $240,000 if Sibelco dispatches their limit of 320,000 tonnes a year. Public infrastructure and road maintenance in Galong will be be priorities before road maintenance and public infrastructure in Harden Murrumburrah.