ANGRY residents protested outside Altona’s Dow Chemical plant last Friday at 10am, ready to greet members of the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal as they visited the site.
Innova Soil Technology is appealing against Hobsons Bay Council’s refusal to grant a planning permit for a plant to treat Victoria’s contaminated soil.
VCAT members Mark Dwyer, Ian Potts and Catherine Wilson inspected the Dow site in Kororoit Creek Road.
Protester and engineer Charlie Fiorini said he had grave concerns about a toxic soil plant so close to homes.
“I’ve got concerns about toxic waste being permanently set up here and all of the waste from around Victoria being transported to this position.
“The trucks are going to be contaminated with pollutants and they will get put on to the road and they will then get blown through the air and onto people’s homes.”
Ann Hunter, a mother of two children with asthma, said she had concerns because she lived 900 metres away.
Sam Konstantouras, who is one of the closest residents in Galvin Street, said such a plant should be situated far from homes.
“It’s too close to dump all this bloody chemical soil. Put it somewhere else, somewhere out of the city, where no people live. That’s where it should be.”
The VCAT hearing is continuing.
