The Planning Minister, Steven Miles, has given notice of a proposed call in for a proposed coal-fired power station on a cattle property located 30 kilometres north-west of the town of Alpha.

Clive Palmer’s company Waratah Coal applied for the approval directly to the Barcaldine Regional Council as a code assessable application. Code assessable development applications do not require public consultation, under what the Minister today called, “an outdated 2006 planning scheme”.

In September, Barcaldine Mayor, Sean Dillon, told the ABC’s 7.30 that he expected the Council would make a decision on Mr Palmer’s proposal before Christmas.

Following the ABC’s report, environmental groups, including the Queensland Conservation Council, called on the Queensland Government to make sure the project does not happen.

Queensland Conservation Council Director, Dave Copeman, said at the time that the local government approval process being used to assess the proposal was not fit for assessing a power station.

“The Council’s planning laws being used to assess this proposal are designed for carports, not coal power stations. This is an inadequate process that could approve a toxic new coal project,” Mr Copeman said.

Today the Planning Minister said Barcaldine Regional Council had done a good job of assessing the application given its a small council that has never assessed a project of this size before.

“Currently, this application isn’t subject to public consultation. I want to make sure the community get their say on a project of this scale,” Dr Miles said.

“The assessment work undertaken by the Council will be very useful to the Planning Department in their preparation of advice to me regarding whether the project should be called in for consideration at a State level.”

The notice gives a period of 21 days for interested parties to make representations regarding the proposed call in.

Interested parties can make a submission to:

Deputy Premier, Minister for State Development, Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning and Minister Assisting the Premier on Olympics Infrastructure

c/- Director, Development Assessment Services

Development Assessment Division

Department of State Development, Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning

Email:  ministerial.callin@dsdilgp.qld.gov.au

Post:           PO Box 15009, CITY EAST  QLD  4002

Cover image iStock photo ID:1317891580 – cedit:jasonbennee