By Mitchell Clarke
The fight against a contentious $13 million saleyards development in Longwarry is heating up again, months after the council stalled on approving the site.
Neighbouring residents of the proposed location – in strong opposition of the project – claim they’ve been abused, threatened and intimidated in recent weeks.
The McCoy family – who live just five metres from the development’s boundary on Sand and Thornell Road – said the “exhausting” fight had taken a toll on their young family.
“We have four young children and the older ones stress and cry over this constantly,” Melissa McCoy explained.
“Only recently they were given the finger whilst playing out the front of our home by a passing car whom purposely slowed down. We can only assume it was either a saleyard representative or a supporter of their proposal which is beyond disgusting.”
But Longwarry Saleyards project manager Frank Hernadi strongly denied such an accusation, explaining that only one representative had been at the site in four months.
“It’s totally unreasonable. No representative would ever do that,” he said.
“From day one, we’ve been on the front foot and tried to address their concerns. That’s been our motto all along.”
Longwarry Saleyards Pty Ltd is proposing to build the saleyards on 22.8 hectares of farm zoned land which will see up to 120,000 cattle and 12,000 bobby calves pushed through the facility annually.
As reported by the Gazette in April, Baw Baw Shire Council stalled on issuing a planning permit due to the effects of Covid-19.
It followed an objection by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) who said the application failed to address a range of issues including odour, noise and light emissions from the site.
A re-advertised application – with some amendments – is currently before council, and is expected to be heard at a meeting in late September or early October.
Mr Hernadi said he was confident the EPA’s criteria had been met and the majority of concerns identified by neighbouring residents had also been addressed.
“Every situation they’ve brought up, I can honestly say we’ve tried it to resolve it, and better it,” he said.
“We will continue to have the respect for the community and we have tried to meet their needs but there comes a stage where you just can’t work with unreasonable people.”
The McCoy family now face the prospect of sharing a boundary fence with the project, which they’ve described as an “offensive industrial development”.
“The whole planning/works approval application process is exhausting, depressing and extremely time consuming … We’re fighting for our homes,” Mrs McCoy said.
“How dare he call us unreasonable when they are trying to take our homes, lifestyle and ruin us financially.”
She said the council had regulations to “protect” ratepayers and to maintain a rural farming visual aspect.
“That all seems to go on the way side when money is involved,” Mrs McCoy said.
“At the end of the day, this is just the wrong site for this type of development.”
Baw Baw Shire Council CEO Mark Dupe said a decision on the application was yet to be made.
Submissions against the current planning application conclude on Wednesday 9 September.
