A recycling facility planned for a growing south-west town has been refused by the NSW Independent Planning Commission due to the residential potential of the area.
The $88-million Moss Vale Plastics Recycling Facility was planned to process 120,000 tonnes of mixed plastic waste a year and was being assessed as a State Significant development.
It had already been declared approvable by the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure despite protests from Wingecarribee Shire Council, which said that it wanted to ensure “future developments align with the values, aspirations and environment of our shire”.
It was subsequently rejected by the IPC because it would “unreasonably conflict with other land uses in the area”.
The surprise decision, given that the state is planning to triple plastic recycling by 2030, was justified by the commission because the site is close not only to existing residential areas but also zones that permit residential development.
The commission undertook a site inspection of the proposed Plasrefine Recycling site and received more than 2800 written submissions regarding the application.
It highlighted that several existing residential land uses are in close proximity to the site, within a few hundred metres, and given the surrounding C4 zoning, there was potential to have even more residential in the area in the wake of subdivisions in 2022.
The site is also close to the Australian BioResources facility, and last year had new roads, including Braddon Road, built for future residential access.
It found that the noise and vibration as well as traffic, transport and visual impact of the facility would have “significant impact on existing and potential residential areas” adjoining the site at 74-76 Beaconsfield Road.
The commission said that this could contribute to land use “incompatibility and conflict” based on the future residential uses surrounding the site.
The Southern Highlands town has been earmarked for growth for some time. In the wider region, population is expected to increase by 45,450 people between 2016 and 2036, mainly in places within commuting distance of Canberra and Sydney.
Traders in Purple announced plans last year to develop 50 terrace homes minutes from the site that had been earmarked for the recycling facility.
While it is 140km south-west of Sydney, median house prices in the town have increased from around $650,000 in 2020 to nearly $1 million, a slight decline on highs of $1.14 million in early 2023, according to RealEstate.com.au.
