Lake Macquarie Council has approved a development application from poultry company Inghams, to construct four grain silos at their Cardiff site, which will be almost 25-metres high, double the legal height limit for the area.
The land on the corner of Nelson and Durie Road has a prescribed height limit of 15-metres under the Local Environment Plan, while the proposed development is 28.5 metres in height including the replacement conveyor system which will be located atop the new silos.
It is understood the applicant submitted a written request to vary the maximum building height which was supported by council on Monday night.
The approval follows an incident in January 2017, where a silo collapsed damaging two other silos which were later demolished.
Lake Macquarie Cr Kevin Baker was the only councillor to object to the application due to the combustible nature of grain dust.
"Grain silos can be very dangerous. We were quite lucky we didn't have a significant explosion in the collapse last year. One thing we just have not really taken into consideration is, is this the right development in the right area?
"It may be permissible under the industrial zoning, but is having a large dangerous goods site adjacent to a train line and other buildings the right thing to do?
"I just do not think council has considered that in the best way," Cr Baker said.
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| The site at Cardiff Inghams for the proposed development. Image: Google Maps. |
