Lake Moodemere Estate owner Michael Chambers and his son, Joel Chambers have fought alongside the Rutherglen community in a David and Goliath battle.
A proposed truck stop and service centre on Federation Way in Rutherglen has had its application refused by the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) citing unacceptable flood risk and impacts on biodiversity.
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The decision brings to a close a process that attracted more than 80 objections from the community when the application first came before Indigo Shire Council.
Friends of Lake Moodemere president, Michael Chambers said the decision was met with absolute amazement.
“We’re just so happy and thankful to everyone who was involved,” Mr Chambers said.
“It was a David and Goliath battle, but we won in the end; it just shows what you can do when you get community together.”
Mr Chambers is the owner of Lake Moodemere Estate, the first winery to be certified sustainable in northeast Victoria and directly opposite the proposed development.
The lake is a sanctuary teeming with endangered, threatened and vulnerable species and with eight vineyards dependent on it for irrigation, there were serious concerns about the risk of runoff and pollution.
“Once we realised the development was going ahead, we formed the group and got the community involved,” Mr Chambers said.
“We knew we had to raise money to go up against these developers who took council to VCAT and that dragged us along too.”
Very quickly, $64,000 was raised from the community, local businesses and visitors, which has all been spent on legal fees and expert witnesses.
“We had $50 left in the bank when we heard the decision on Friday,” Mr Chambers said.
“It is a wonderful decision; it is such a beautiful place to protect and was just a bad site selection.”
Lake Moodemere is a sanctuary teeming with endangered, threatened and vulnerable species and eight vineyards dependent on it for irrigation.
Indigo Shire mayor, Sophie Price acknowledged the Friends of Lake Moodemere, which she said played a key role in opposing the proposal.
"This is a great outcome, not only for the Rutherglen community, which voiced strong opposition, but also because it upholds Council's planning advice and the views we put forward," Cr Price said.
“Council did not determine the application, as it was before VCAT for a decision, however Council had resolved that, if given the opportunity, it would have refused the permit on the same grounds.
“The site's flood and environmental risks had not been adequately addressed, and the applicant had not provided the flood study requested by the North East Catchment Management Authority.”
Cr Price said the outcome reflected the strength of feeling within the Rutherglen community.
The Friends of Lake Moodemere plan to keep their $50 in the account and keep the group going, “in case Moodemere needs protecting again”.
“We got caught up in a process we didn’t understand, but we understand it fully now,” Mr Chambers said.
VCAT has handed down a 53-page report but, three little words, “permit not granted” were everything he and the Rutherglen community needed to hear.
