Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPA) has released a new set of guidelines on assessing planning proposals within the buffer of landfills for planners, developers and councils.
The new EPA publication, titled Assessing Planning Proposals Within the Buffer of a Landfill, provides a technical guide to assist decision making around the level of assessment required to assess the risk of landfill gas migration impacting on a planning proposal. The advice in the guideline is consistent with and builds on the advice contained in the Best Practice Environmental Management: Siting Design, Operation and Rehabilitation of Landfills (the Landfill BPEM), using a staged, risk-based approach.
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EPA has finalised the updated guidelines after more than a year of consultation and a number of detailed submissions from planners and councils.
EPA’s Executive Director Assessments, Tim Eaton, said the 18-page publication is now available on the EPA website.
“The new guidelines are designed to make it easier to progress planning applications while protecting the community through compliance with Victorian legislation and planning provisions,” Mr Eaton said.
“It brings together technical detail and a ‘how to’ guide to assessing the impacts of a proposal and choosing the right mitigation measures,” he said.
The guideline, Assessing Planning Proposals Within the Buffer of a Landfill, looks at the need for buffers around landfill sites, and the legislation and Victorian Planning Provisions that apply to them, and provides a recommended approach to assessing planning proposals within the buffer of landfill sites.
The guideline also includes useful technical detail on the risk of landfill gas and odour impacts, mitigation measures and EPA’s role in landfill gas and odour assessment.
“The document includes useful appendices containing sample planning permit conditions and details of the qualifications required for environmental auditors, contaminated land specialists and Certification of Site Contamination Scheme practitioners,” Mr Eaton said.
Assessing Planning Proposals Within the Buffer of a Landfill (Publication number 1642) is available to read here.