NO BTS 66 Fact sheet. If you are wondering what stage the Brunswick Terminal Station is at here's the latest fact sheet.
Download a pdf here
A website for local residents opposed to the building of a new 66kv Terminal station on the site of the existing Brunswick Terminal Station at 46 King St, Fitzroy North Vic 3068.
Friday, March 2, 2012
The No BTS 66 Fact Sheet
NO BTS 66 Fact sheet. If you are wondering what stage the Brunswick Terminal Station is at here's the latest fact sheet.
Download a pdf here
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Adam Bandt raises the BTS66 issue in Parliament Wednesday, 29 February 2012
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
PROOF
Federation Chamber
CONSTITUENCY STATEMENTS
Melbourne Electorate: Energy Infrastructure
SPEECH
Wednesday, 29 February 2012
BY AUTHORITY OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
SPEECH
Date Wednesday, 29 February 2012 Source House
Page 107 Proof Yes
Questioner Responder
Speaker Bandt, Adam, MP Question No.
Mr BANDT (Melbourne) (09:57): Sustainable power supply should not come at the price of people's health or the cost of their amenity. With my Greens colleagues we have effectively facilitated a national focus on clean, renewable energy. I am now turning close attention to the impact of energy infrastructure on communities.
Residents in my electorate of Melbourne are facing the prospect of living alongside a 66-kilovolt terminal station, plans for which have been granted executive approval by the Baillieu government. I note that the member for Wills is in the chamber too and I am glad he is, because I know he has raised this issue as well. Already cohabiting with a 22-kilovolt facility, residents are rightly concerned about the intervention to approve the expansion and bypass the scrutiny of the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal. Chris Black, Ramon Collodetti and other members of the Merri Creek Residents Group have been campaigning tirelessly for their community, and on their behalf I am now continuing to bring to the attention of the federal parliament the following concerns about the proposal.
Firstly, the requisite regulatory test provides insufficient scrutiny of the social impacts of the facility and does not require independent analysis of the health and safety risks. I have written to the Minister for Resources and Energy to bring his attention to this. Secondly, residents are rightly concerned about the current absence of Australian standards for exposure to electromagnetic fields. The draft standard has not yet been approved, leaving open the possibility of an unsafe environment for families. Furthermore, debates about the safety of the
proposed facility and the appropriate EMF levels have focused on international standards for critical exposure rather than chronic exposure. While the predicted EMF levels may fall beneath international standards for critical exposure, residents will be in streets registering EMF levels of four to eight to milligauss. Over time, levels above three milligauss correlate with a higher risk of childhood leukaemia. There are also concerns for children living under the high voltage line further down the line in the electorate of the member for Batman. One report on this site suggests that warning signs can be installed to deal with high magnetic field values on that footpath immediately above the underground cables—poor comfort for the residents who are using these footpaths daily.
I have written to the health minister to request immediate advice on the progress of the standards.
Thirdly, the intervention by the Victorian government has denied residents their right to participate in the planning process. I have written to the Premier expressing my concerns.
Fourthly, expansion of the terminal is based on outdated data regarding power consumption in Melbourne and is inconsistent with the reformation of the National Electricity Market to remove the bias towards centralised coal fired power generation and encourage demand management and the development of distributed generation and renewable energy. Ironically, the unique
Moreland Energy Foundation, with its forward-thinking plan to make Melbourne self-sufficient in energy supply through the introduction of cogeneration, takes in Brunswick and the site of this facility. I join with residents to call for an immediate independent review of this proposal.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Ms AE Burke ): Order! In accordance with standing order 193 the time for constituency statements has concluded.
PROOF
Federation Chamber
CONSTITUENCY STATEMENTS
Melbourne Electorate: Energy Infrastructure
SPEECH
Wednesday, 29 February 2012
BY AUTHORITY OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
SPEECH
Date Wednesday, 29 February 2012 Source House
Page 107 Proof Yes
Questioner Responder
Speaker Bandt, Adam, MP Question No.
Mr BANDT (Melbourne) (09:57): Sustainable power supply should not come at the price of people's health or the cost of their amenity. With my Greens colleagues we have effectively facilitated a national focus on clean, renewable energy. I am now turning close attention to the impact of energy infrastructure on communities.
Residents in my electorate of Melbourne are facing the prospect of living alongside a 66-kilovolt terminal station, plans for which have been granted executive approval by the Baillieu government. I note that the member for Wills is in the chamber too and I am glad he is, because I know he has raised this issue as well. Already cohabiting with a 22-kilovolt facility, residents are rightly concerned about the intervention to approve the expansion and bypass the scrutiny of the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal. Chris Black, Ramon Collodetti and other members of the Merri Creek Residents Group have been campaigning tirelessly for their community, and on their behalf I am now continuing to bring to the attention of the federal parliament the following concerns about the proposal.
Firstly, the requisite regulatory test provides insufficient scrutiny of the social impacts of the facility and does not require independent analysis of the health and safety risks. I have written to the Minister for Resources and Energy to bring his attention to this. Secondly, residents are rightly concerned about the current absence of Australian standards for exposure to electromagnetic fields. The draft standard has not yet been approved, leaving open the possibility of an unsafe environment for families. Furthermore, debates about the safety of the
proposed facility and the appropriate EMF levels have focused on international standards for critical exposure rather than chronic exposure. While the predicted EMF levels may fall beneath international standards for critical exposure, residents will be in streets registering EMF levels of four to eight to milligauss. Over time, levels above three milligauss correlate with a higher risk of childhood leukaemia. There are also concerns for children living under the high voltage line further down the line in the electorate of the member for Batman. One report on this site suggests that warning signs can be installed to deal with high magnetic field values on that footpath immediately above the underground cables—poor comfort for the residents who are using these footpaths daily.
I have written to the health minister to request immediate advice on the progress of the standards.
Thirdly, the intervention by the Victorian government has denied residents their right to participate in the planning process. I have written to the Premier expressing my concerns.
Fourthly, expansion of the terminal is based on outdated data regarding power consumption in Melbourne and is inconsistent with the reformation of the National Electricity Market to remove the bias towards centralised coal fired power generation and encourage demand management and the development of distributed generation and renewable energy. Ironically, the unique
Moreland Energy Foundation, with its forward-thinking plan to make Melbourne self-sufficient in energy supply through the introduction of cogeneration, takes in Brunswick and the site of this facility. I join with residents to call for an immediate independent review of this proposal.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Ms AE Burke ): Order! In accordance with standing order 193 the time for constituency statements has concluded.
Support from Moreland Council
Councillor John Kavanagh the Moreland Mayor has written to the Premier Ted Baillieu urging him to meet with the members of the Merri Creek Residents Group to discuss the BTS upgrade.
You can click on the image to read the letter or download a pdf here.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
A suitable site for a Terminal station?
One of the other proposed sites for expanding and upgrading the network is in Brooklyn. We visited that site to compare how suitable it was for an upgrade compared to Brunswick.
Just because Brunswick is the cheapest (which it may not be) and was the victim of poor planning decisions back in the 1950s doesn't make it the best choice now.
Surely it makes sense to locate an industrial facility in an industrial area where it is not next to housing?
Download this information sheet here.
What happens in our tiny residential streets if this happens?
This is a video of a 220/66 transformer failure.
The power companies have not submitted any details of how they intend to
cope if this happens at Brunswick. The chances of it happening are quite low, yet it could.
There have been explosions there in the past!
View video here
The power companies have not submitted any details of how they intend to
cope if this happens at Brunswick. The chances of it happening are quite low, yet it could.
There have been explosions there in the past!
View video here
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Letter to the Mayor from the Merri Creek Residents Group
Dear Mayor
Thank you for making time to meet with representatives of the Merri Creek Residents Group this afternoon to discuss our outstanding concerns with the rezoning of the BTS site.
As per our discussions, we are continuing to pursue various avenues of challenging the decision that has been made, and the main ways in which Moreland Council can support us include:
- Through supporting our call for an Independent Review of the decision to rezone the land and allow the new 66kV facility to be built at the BTS site. Such an Independent Review would allow full consideration of all the facts in this matter, and not just the views and wishes of the power companies to be taken into account and rubber-stamped by Ministerial intervention. This support would include writing to the Premier, the Minister for Planning, the Minister for Energy & Resources and other relevant bodies requesting this action be taken
- Supporting the sourcing of legal advice from a senior Town Planner barrister/solicitor to determine any possible legal challenges to the Ministers decision. We are asking for a sum of $3000 from Moreland Council, and will also be approaching the City of Yarra and City of Darebin to help fund this action. This will not commit the City of Moreland to undertaking any further legal action, rather put us all in the position of understanding the potential of a legal challenge against the decision to rezone. Of course we would share this legal advice with Council and others supporting our actions.
- Support us in any appeal to VCAT around the Minister’s decision, based on the significant loss of amenity and wellbeing that a development of this nature in a residential area will cause (including the health and wellbeing of those residents in the neighbouring municipality of Darebin who live directly under the HV transmission lines).
- That Council make available the full set of Officers Reports and file notes relating to this application development that was twice rejected by Council’s Urban Planning Committee. In particular it would be helpful to get information about the full extent of correspondence between the proponents of the development and Council in the leadup to the June 2010 and November 2011 meetings, to help understand the level of consultation (or lack of) that occurred in the proponents seeking a planning permit.
We appreciate that Council has made various statements to condemn the Government’s lack of consultation with the community and with Council over the rezoning of this land. We trust that you will be able to continue supporting our fight to overturn or at least review this decision, and return some level of confidence to residents in the City of Moreland that the democratic Planning Laws in this State are there to ensure that all parties are heard and given the right to have their say, particularly in such large scale and potentially dangerous development decisions.
Kind regards
Chris Black and Ramon Colodetti
On behalf of the Merri Creek Residents Group
Thursday, February 23, 2012
NEW ‘MINISTER FOR REZONING’ IN BAILLIEU GOVERNMENT
MEDIA RELEASE
20 February 2012
NEW ‘MINISTER FOR REZONING’ IN BAILLIEU GOVERNMENT
Following his outrageous and clearly suspect decision to rezone land at Philip Island to allow a Liberal ‘mate’ to make vast profits out a new housing development, Minister Matthew Guy is at it again in inner-city East Brunswick.
Last week with no warning he rezoned a large parcel of land along the Merri Creek from ‘Residential 1’ to ‘Special Use’ to allow power companies to proceed with a fourfold expansion of the existing Brunswick Terminal Station. This is despite the fact that local government, Moreland Council, has twice rejected this proposal on the grounds that it is an unsuitable development for such a highly residential and environmentally sensitive area.
It appears that we now have a new portfolio in the Baillieu Government – Minister for Rezoning.
When they don’t like a decision made at the local government level, they simply send in the Minister for Rezoning to make a decision that overrides the state’s democratic planning processes – and cut out any opposing voices. Those concerned at the Minister’s plans for greater development of the Melbourne skyline should be alarmed.
Minister Guy’s decision, based purely on the economic arguments put forward by power companies for development at this site in preference to moving the terminal station to a more appropriate industrial location, mean that social, community health and environmental considerations are being completely dismissed. It also means that a VCAT hearing due for March is now null and void.
“Both the Planning Minister and the power companies have deceived Council and residents by effectively removing this decision from VCAT’s hands, after having told us that they would follow by the ‘proper planning processes’ for this site”, said Merri Creek Residents Group spokesperson, Ramon Colodetti.
“People living in the vicinity of the Brunswick Terminal Station, and those who live under the high voltage power lines leading into the site, have serious concerns about the safety of the proposed new facility” said Mr Colodetti. “But now that the Planning Minister has intervened and effectively rezoned the site from Residential to an Industrial site, none of our concerns will be heard.”
For further information about the residents campaign to move the power station, contact Ray Colodetti on 0416 235 391 or go to http://powergridsolutions.blogspot.com/
20 February 2012
NEW ‘MINISTER FOR REZONING’ IN BAILLIEU GOVERNMENT
Following his outrageous and clearly suspect decision to rezone land at Philip Island to allow a Liberal ‘mate’ to make vast profits out a new housing development, Minister Matthew Guy is at it again in inner-city East Brunswick.
Last week with no warning he rezoned a large parcel of land along the Merri Creek from ‘Residential 1’ to ‘Special Use’ to allow power companies to proceed with a fourfold expansion of the existing Brunswick Terminal Station. This is despite the fact that local government, Moreland Council, has twice rejected this proposal on the grounds that it is an unsuitable development for such a highly residential and environmentally sensitive area.
It appears that we now have a new portfolio in the Baillieu Government – Minister for Rezoning.
When they don’t like a decision made at the local government level, they simply send in the Minister for Rezoning to make a decision that overrides the state’s democratic planning processes – and cut out any opposing voices. Those concerned at the Minister’s plans for greater development of the Melbourne skyline should be alarmed.
Minister Guy’s decision, based purely on the economic arguments put forward by power companies for development at this site in preference to moving the terminal station to a more appropriate industrial location, mean that social, community health and environmental considerations are being completely dismissed. It also means that a VCAT hearing due for March is now null and void.
“Both the Planning Minister and the power companies have deceived Council and residents by effectively removing this decision from VCAT’s hands, after having told us that they would follow by the ‘proper planning processes’ for this site”, said Merri Creek Residents Group spokesperson, Ramon Colodetti.
“People living in the vicinity of the Brunswick Terminal Station, and those who live under the high voltage power lines leading into the site, have serious concerns about the safety of the proposed new facility” said Mr Colodetti. “But now that the Planning Minister has intervened and effectively rezoned the site from Residential to an Industrial site, none of our concerns will be heard.”
For further information about the residents campaign to move the power station, contact Ray Colodetti on 0416 235 391 or go to http://powergridsolutions.blogspot.com/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)