Community seeks detail on Alcoa’s mine plan

THE deadline for submissions for the proposed future of the land occupied by Anglesea’s coal mine and power station has been extended, and some in the community want more detail about Alcoa’s vision for the site.

The latest Alcoa Community Consultation Network (CCN) meeting provided updates on several issues relating to the area, including Alcoa’s draft freehold concept master plan, the progress of the mine eventually filling and become a body of water, and the controlled demolition of the power station and smoke stack.

The draft freehold concept master plan, which identifies potential uses for the four Alcoa-owned parcels of land in the area, has been controversial for some in the community, and Monday’s meeting of the CCN at the Anglesea Senior Citizens Centre drew a larger crowd than usual.

The deletion of the Anglesea Bike Park in the Bentleigh and Wilkins streets parcel and its replacement with residential and accommodation uses has been particularly opposed.

Speaking about the plan, Alcoa site asset manager Warren Sharp said Alcoa was trying to guide how the land would be used well into the future, and it would draw up a Section 173 agreement that placed restrictions on how any potential buyers could use the land.

“The key driver for us is about our legacy and reputation. Our life would probably be a lot easier if we flogged it off today, to be honest.”

He said Alcoa was trying to get overall, high-level agreement from the community on how the land could be used, so had not yet drilled down into the detail. In response, Mike Bodsworth (who chairs the bike park’s committee of management) said there would need to be “serious cost-benefit analysis” of the options presented and not presented by Alcoa in its plan.

“The analysis that underpins these decisions is really unclear to us.”

Emma Fenton agreed. “It’s got to the point where we’re expected to say ‘yep, what a good idea’, or ‘no, it’s not’, but we don’t have enough detail,” she said.

Alcoa will now take submissions to their draft plan until March 6. In related news, the consultation period for the Draft Anglesea Futures Land Use Plan (into which Alcoa’s plan will be ultimately submitted) has been extended until March 16. Download the plan at engage.vic.gov.au/angleseafutures. See Letters, pages24-25.