Construction of the new food waste to energy facility is starting this month. Over the coming months we'll be focussed on preparing the foundations of the site.

During the first half of 2024, before we build a new access track, we'll need to drive our construction vehicles through Lilydale, along Maroondah Highway, Anderson Street and Nelson Road. We'll avoid peak school traffic times for your safety and to keep you moving. 

For more information about the project and what to expect, read our latest update by clicking on the picture below.

Notice of an Application for a Planning Permit - (PA2201903)

We applied for a Planning Permit from the Minister for Planning and we’re sharing the Notice of an Application for a Planning Permit.

This notice gives you more information about our plans, including where you can look at the application and supporting documents, and where you can provide feedback.

You can look at the application and any documents that support the application by searching for the application number (PA2201903) online at https://www.planning.vic.gov.au/planning-approvals/ministerial-permits-register/ministerial-permits/9df59a9e-1751-ed11-bba3-002248933fc5

We’re also pleased to share that we’ve secured an additional $1 million funding through the Victorian Government’s Waste to Energy – Bioenergy Fund. This will help to fund a second generator at the proposed food waste to energy facility, which will increase the power output and nearly double our export of energy to the grid.

We’ve just submitted our Planning Permit application to the Planning Minister via the Department of Transport and Planning (formerly the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning) and our Development Licence application to the Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPA Victoria).

Community feedback from August 2020, when we consulted about the design of the facility, helped shape these permit applications.

View our applications online:

• DTP Planning Permit application – reference number PA2201903 (visit Department of Planning website)
• EPA Development Licence application – application number APP020445 (visit EPA Victoria website) (consultation open from 14 February to 8 March 2023)

The Department of Transport and Planning (DTP) and EPA Victoria will shortly be making an initial assessment of the applications to confirm they are valid applications for consideration. Once they are satisfied our applications have all the relevant information, they will advertise them, along with supporting documentation, as part of their public consultation process. 

What’s next?

• We’ll review and work through our applications with DTP and EPA Victoria, including any community feedback from their public consultation 
• Upon obtaining the relevant approvals and permits, we plan to build from mid-2023 and start accepting waste in late 2024.
• We’ll contact you again in 2023 to have your say about additional benefits we can achieve for the local community. 

Community feedback from the August 2020 consultation has helped us progress the design of the facility and is shaping our permit applications to the Planning Minister and the Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPA).

In April 2022, we signed a contract with Delorean Corporation Engineering Division (formerly Biogass Renewables Pty Ltd) to design and construct the Lilydale facility.

For full details and comments from our 2020 engagement, please visit our engagement website.

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Before finalising our design and seeking the required approvals, we were keen to hear what the community thinks.

In August 2020, we shared our plans to build the facility at our existing Lilydale sewage treatment plant and asked people in the community to have their say about the look of the facility, as well as anything they thought we should be aware of as we progress the project.

What we’ve heard – key themes

• The access road needs to be safe where it crosses the Yarra Rail Trail and when trucks are entering Maroondah Highway.
• Make sure we control odour. Some customers have at times noticed a smell from the Lilydale sewage treatment plant from the Yarra Rail Trail near Nelson Road and, in the past, have experienced odours from a privately operated composting facility that used to operate nearby.
• Plant plenty of trees to screen the facility from view and be careful not to displace kangaroos and other wildlife.
• There’s strong community support for recycling waste.

These particular conversations have closed, however you can still view the comments.

What we heard

We were pleased to see so much support for the project and its benefits. We received lots of useful feedback and suggestions via this consultation website, from the 30-minute private conversations that you booked in for, and from emails.

Below is a detailed summary of the support, concerns and suggestions we heard:

Support

• This is a great initiative that needs to happen
• Hopefully the facility will soon be able to also accept household waste
• Prospective waste suppliers in the region are excited to start bringing their waste to the facility once it is operating

Concerns

• The access road needs to be safe where it crosses the Yarra Rail Trail and when trucks are pulling out into Maroondah Highway
• Make sure the facility isn’t smelly. Some customers have at times noticed a smell from the Lilydale sewage treatment plant from the Yarra Rail Trail near Nelson Road, and in the past have experienced bad odours from a private composting facility that used to operate nearby
• Make sure the facility isn’t noisy. This includes delivery trucks using engine braking to slow down
• Be careful to avoid polluting the adjacent stormwater flow and Olinda Creek
• Don’t impact traffic, especially on weekends when there is a lot of tourist traffic along Maroondah Highway
• Ensure no detrimental impact on people or the environment. This includes people living or operating businesses nearby, as well as the displacement of wildlife such as kangaroos
• The facility could be an eyesore for the ‘gateway to the Yarra Valley’ if no screening trees are planted
• Plant plenty of screening trees and colour-blend the facility so it’s less visually obvious
• Instead of screening trees, beautify the facility with murals or a sculpture
• Be sensitive to local indigenous culture
• Improve the active areas around the facility and at the Nelson Road entry to the Lilydale sewage treatment plant (e.g. drainage at the footpath)
• Improve wetland amenity by blending the existing holding ponds at the Lilydale sewage treatment plant with a corridor of new plantings to make the ponds accessible to wildlife
• Build a bridge on the access road that goes over the Yarra Rail Trail
• Build an overpass structure for trucks to cross over Maroondah Highway instead of installing traffic lights
• Use sustainable materials and innovations during construction and operation
• Build an education centre so that schools can visit
• Instil community pride by getting locals involved (e.g. students can decorate bricks)
• Include a bike path from Ingram Road to Yarra Rail Trail
• Make use of waste heat from the facility

Suggestions

All feedback is being considered and is helping us progress the design of the facility. It will help shape our permit applications to the Planning Minister and the Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPA).