By DANE LILLINGSTONE
THE grain debate hasn’t been restricted to the community with Southern Downs Regional Council unable to decide on how a new storage facility will be handled.
In 2013, the council approved a development permit to GrainX CEO Chris Hood for an agricultural hub for the storage and transportation of grain.
The development, located on land at Wariwck-Allora Road, Allora, will enable grain to be transported by truck or rail to the site and then be loaded into shipping containers and trucked to port.
Debate in the meeting surrounded on how council would require the development to offset the visual impact that the new facility would have. The discussion ranged from planting trees along the area to a dirt mound with shrubs planted on top.
Negotiations have been back and forth between the council and GrainX’s Chris Hood with Mr Hood since stating he wanted to operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week and also wanted to stack storage containers five high at the site.
Council planning and environment director Ken Harris said the development would have a visible impact on the area.
“It is a fairly large and visible facility,” he said
“The development will have a large visual impact. We’re trying to minimise the impact. This is not a small use.”
Deputy mayor Ross Bartley said farm production often wasn’t pretty to look at.
Cr Glyn Rees said people had to accept the benefits of grain production.
“At some time we have to accept these agricultural activities are keeping us afloat,” he said.
It was decided that the matter will be deferred to the Department of Transport and Main Roads.
In other GrainX news, a progress report on the Memorandum of Understanding was placed in the confidential section of the meeting despite Cr Mackenzie questioning the decision.
“The community members need to discuss it with the community, otherwise what’s the point of them being there?” he said.
Cr Meiklejohn is on the committee and said the two community members on the committee agreed to keep it confidential.
“The committee agreed to have it this way,” he said.
A motion to have the discussion brought into the public session of the meeting was voted down.
