The decision was made during a special council meeting yesterday at the Maryborough Community Hub.

Central Goldfields Shire chief administrator Noel Harvey said it had been a difficult decision, raising concerns across the community about the impact to farming properties and houses in the farming area and a change in the area’s character.

“Council needed to carefully weigh up state and local policies that recognise the significance of agricultural land and state policy requiring us to facilitate appropriate development of energy supply infrastructure,” Mr Harvey said.

RELATED: Central Goldfields Shire to decide on Carisbrook solar farm

German engineering company ib vogt GmbH’s proposal attracted 22 submissions, 18 of which were written objections.

The development would cover about 300 hectares of farm land about 3.5 kilometres east of Carisbrook on the north side of the Pyrenees Highway.

The nearest homes are about 400 – 700 metres from the edge of the proposed 90 megawatt solar farm solar farm.

The facility is expected to generate enough energy to power about 44,000 homes and reduce carbon emissions by 168,000 tonnes a year – ‘enough to power a city close to the size of Bendigo’, according to ib Vogt.

The council expects the project to create about 240 jobs and deliver a $400,000 boost to the economy during construction.

Ib vogt predicts the full construction phase will take 12 – 14 months, with a peak construction period of seven – nine months.

Central Goldfields Shire Council February 4 special meeting agenda

The company hopes to start building late this year.

In the special meeting agenda, the council said the key issues with the plan mirrored the issues of concern to objectors.

It was recommended the notice of decision to grant a permit be issued, subject to a number of conditions.

The Central Goldfields Shire Council’s administrators voted unanimously in support of the recommendation.

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