203 York Street in Ballarat East has been officially chosen as the site for a new $30 million zone substation, despite community protests.
Powercor notified nearby residents about the decision today, with the company inviting locals to co-design some of the facilities features, including fencing, plants and paint colours.
A $2 million community benefits package will also be rolled out, with options for the package including payment for neighbours of the site and investment in community recreational areas.
The location has been very controversial, with Ballarat Council backing a petition in May that opposed the site due to health, safety and property devaluation concerns.
Powercor’s Head of Network Planning, Andrew Dinning, says they’ve taken the community concerns on board.
“We’ve been speaking to the community since March and they’ve told us a wide range of concerns from noise to flooding,” he said.
“We’ve taken all of that on board and [we’ve] sought to design that out as part of our initial concepts.”
Two community information sessions will be held, providing residents with an opportunity to hear more
about the project and to have their say.
The sessions will be held on December 2nd from 10am to 1pm and December 6th from 4pm to 7pm at the Sovereign Park York Conference Room, 223 Main Road in Ballarat.
