The battery is set to be located on 10 hectares on Vances Crossing Road at Joel Joel, 20 kilometres east of Stawell.
Cr Haswell said he and the community had been kept in the dark about the project.
“The biggest concern, of course, always as a councillor in the Northern Grampians Shire, is the effect that it has on our ratepayers, our residents,” he said.
“Having a 350-megawatt battery across the road from your house and without having any say in it and without being told, is a lack of consideration and lack of respect.”
Council’s infrastructure and amenity director Trenton Fithall told ABC Statewide Drive on Thursday that council officers knew about the project since January during a pre-application process, but played no role in approving the project.
Mr Fithall said council was one of the referral authorities that provided comment on the project.
“Our commentary is related to any conditions we may have in regards to impacts the project may have to different elements, that could be local infrastructure or could even be emergency management considerations, or anything really that falls within our realm of responsibility under legislation, and any sort of other local general impacts that should be considered,” he said.
“We provided notes to seek some expansion on some emergency management consideration and native vegetation, as well as some flooding.
“Ultimately, other referrals have the final say about those items, but we raise them as potential issues on our side.
“Ultimately, where we carry most of our weight with regards to things like this is with traffic management and how the developer seeks to haul supplies and materials, et cetera, to the site.
“A project to this size obviously has a lot of moving parts and the haulage of those bits and pieces requires a fair bit of management to reduce and minimise the impact to local infrastructure.
“We have a pretty strict regulatory framework within which we work, and that’s where our commentary is restricted to under this format.”
Renewable energy projects became eligible earlier this year to go through the government’s Development Facilitation Program pathway, which has removed the right to appeal applicable projects at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, VCAT.
Member for Lowan Emma Kealy said it was a slap in the face to communities who had no idea the project would be arriving on their doorstep.
“It’s outrageous – not even the Northern Grampians Shire Council knew about it,” she said.
“If the local council is blindsided what hope do we have?
“How can the Allan Labor government possibly make the right decision for our community after just nine weeks?
“Imagine having a 350-megawatt battery built across the road from your house without having any say.
“These projects have long-lasting impacts on our regional landscapes, communities, and cultural heritage.”
A State Government spokesperson said letters were sent to notify neighbouring properties of the proposed project on June 11.
"The department must take into account any submissions up until the date a decision is made, which was August 8, 2024. No objections were received," she said.
The Department of Transport and Planning met with the North Grampians Shire Council on May 9 to explain the project, and the Northern Grampians Shire Council chief executive was directly notified on May 30 and June 11.
"We received a response from the North Grampians Shire Council on June 26 and they did not object to the project," she said.
The spokesperson said the department also notified the Country Fire Authority, Transport for Victoria, Barengi Gadjin Land Council, and EnergySafe Victoria.
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