- Why was the Meinhardt report commissioned?

To provide the City with assurances it was safe for the old White Hills tip site to be used by Hopley Demolition to access its adjacent worksite and store crushed rock and other material, while the lease, planning permit and other approval processes were progressed. 

- What were the findings?

That there are too many unknowns for us to know if it is safe or not for Hopley Demolition to drive across the top of the tip or store crushed rock and other material. The risk is unacceptable and until we have that level of knowledge these activities should cease immediately.

- If the findings deemed there was a risk to the site, why has a demolition company been allowed to use the site to dump significant industrial waste and for how long?

Until we (the City) received this report, we did not know it was unsafe. 

- Why wasn’t the report commissioned before a demolition company was allowed to occupy the site?

Hopley Demolition has never been allowed to occupy the site, the company has no permission to be there and the City has tried to work with it for more than a year to resolve this issue. 

- Who occupies the site? 

Hopley Demolition, without the City’s permission. 

- Who owns the site? What is the lease arrangement with the City of Greater Bendigo?

DEPI owns the land, it is Crown Land. The City leases it from them.

- Who sub-lets parts of the site? What are the land sizes which are leased/sub-leased? 

The part of the site where the crushing plant is located is leased by another company and sub-leased by Hopley Demolition. 

That area of land has a legitimate lease and the correct permits are in place. The area that is not approved is the area where the old White Hills tip was located and where Hopley Demolition’s materials are being stockpiled and sold.

- Why is Hopley Demolition using land leased by the City of Greater Bendigo? 

That is a question for Hopley Demolition. 

- What permits are in place for this? 

None.

- For how long has Hopley used the land? How much land do they actually occupy and how much land are they permitted to occupy? What is the lease arrangement?

For more than a year. The City has been working with Hopley Demolition to sort this problem out in accordance with the compliance policy adopted by Council (to first educate and try and solve the problem,secondly issue a warning, then take enforcement action as a last resort). 

- What waste is being dumped on the site? Will it need to be relocated / if so, where to?

The material is from demolition sites and is stored on the site both before it is put through the crushing plant and after it has been crushed, waiting for re-use. The material is not dumped and forgotten about, rather it is being stored. 

- Why is waste still being dumped at the site?

The material is being stored on site as Hopley Demolition has repeatedly ignored requests and warnings by the City to cease using the site. 

- Is there asbestos at the site? 

Hopley Demolition has told the City the company is operating in accordance with the required procedures in relation to asbestos material that is being brought to the site. 

Testing on site has found one spot with asbestos, supposedly from the soil that was brought to the site to cap the tip when it ceased operating. 

- Has it been operating as a retail outlet and open to the public? Is it still open to the public?

Hopley Demolition is operating as a retail outlet, selling its crushed rock material. 

- Why does Hopley Demolition have an official entrance to the site, when that particular parcel of land is not formally leased to them?

This is part of the problem that needs to be fixed, so he can legitimately access the area he has a permit for. There are other ways to access the site he legitimately uses. 

- Why has Hopley Demolition been allowed to effectively clear the land and dump large piles of rubbish in an area for which there are no permits, no money exchanged for lease?

He is not dumping rubbish, but storing material before and after it is processed for recycling. The City has been working with the company for more than a year to put the appropriate permits in place but following the Meinhardt report, all access and use must cease immediately. 

- For how long has this been happening?

The actual start date is unknown, but for more than a year. It may be as long as three years, but the City has been assisting Hopley Demolition and trying to solve the problem of access for more than a year. 

- Why?

Because until the report was received, the City was not aware of the level of risk associated with Hopley Demolition’s access. 

However, there are now too many unknowns and an unacceptable level of risk, which means the company will have to stop accessing the tip site and storing material on it. 

The only way to get a level of assurance is to complete the comprehensive rehabilitation assessment planned by the City. 

- Who was monitoring compliance at the site and why wasn’t this detected until now?

The City has no reason to actively manage the site, as the legitimately leased area was clear and known to everyone. Hopley Demolition has been operating outside their lease area and this activity has been known of for more than a year, so in this time the City has been trying to solve the problem of access to Hopley Demolition’s adjacent worksite. 

- Has Hopley Demolition been issued with any EPA clean up notices?

Yes, a Pollution Abatement Notice and a Clean Up Notice

- If the site is required to be cleared, who will pay for that – Hopley Demolition or council/ratepayers?

Hopley Demolition will be required to remove all material from the unauthorised site. 

The company will have to cover the cost of doing this.

- What permits should be in place for Hopley Demolition at the site? Why have they not been?

Sub lease, planning permit, building permit. 

There may be others from other government departments. 

- If the waste can no longer be dumped up there, where can it be taken to?

As with all other demolition contractors, there are a range of options to deal with excess material. 

Hopley Demolition would need to select the one that best suited their business.