The Latrobe City Council has been advised by the Victorian Government of the decision to approve the proposed development of a Used Lead Acid Battery (ULAB) Recycling Facility in Hazelwood North.

In a statement Council says it “acknowledges the Planning Ministers intervention in the planning scheme, under the auspice of the Development Facilitation Program, however is disappointed that the government failed to consult Council or the community on the matter.”

Due to community concerns and feedback, the Council voted not to issue a planning permit for the ULAB at a Special Council Meeting on the 17^th of September 2020.

It’s not clear what this decision will mean for the Latrobe Valley Health Innovation Zone which was established in 2016 by the state government. As the first of it’s kind in Australia, the Health Innovation Zone was designed to deliver better heal and wellbeing outcomes for the community and Council is now asking the state government, what is the relevance of the Health Innovation Zone in this decision and what role will the Zone have going forward?