Council Approves Algae Farm
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28 March 2018
Council Approves Algae Farm
Goondiwindi Regional Council today approved an application by Woods Grain to develop a 7-pond algae farm, and a reservoir – the first commercial venture of its kind in Queensland.
The development will utilise new technologies in low-cost sustainable algae cultivation alongside innovative harvesting systems. The Omega-3 product from the algae will be trialled as a food supplement to the Woods Grain feed mill on the neighbouring site.
While the Omega-3 product is commonly used for human health purposes, its use as a high-protein feedstock is a new concept and it is hoped that the trial will open doors for brand new agricultural industries in the future.
The development will occur in multiple stages at the Barwon Highway address. Mayor Graeme Scheu acknowledged that the development was a very sensitive issue for the community due to the unprecedented nature of the project.
The Council took into account the 13 properly made submissions as well as a petition that had been presented at the previous meeting. Many of the 13 submissions shared common issues: concerns of health, odour, dust, mosquitos, noise and environmental impacts.
Council believes all submissions have been adequately addressed with conditions.
In researching the proposal, all members of Council attended a full-day inspection of a trial site at the University of Queensland’s Pinjarra Hills campus in Brisbane. ‘We found there to be absolutely no trace of noise or odour during our inspection of the site,’ said Mayor Graeme Scheu.
Council also sought independent advice from Queensland Health and Department of Environment and Science before considering the application. It was established with the assistance of a number of Queensland agencies that the concerns of the submitters could be addressed with conditions.
After considering the proposal, Council imposed a total of 48 conditions - from waste retention and pest management plans through to noise, landscaping and hours. Each condition was debated individually by Council at the meeting.
For more information, please contact:
Councillor Graeme Scheu
Mayor
Goondiwindi Regional Council
Mobile: 0427 718 877
Email: gscheu@grc.qld.gov.au