With expiration of the permit for construction commencement imminent for the Lancaster Solar Farm, will we soon see movement at the site or will this be a project lost to time?
Locals could be forgiven for having forgotten what exactly is proposed for the site.
Approval for the Lancaster Solar Farm was first sought in 2018 and plans were approved by Campaspe Shire Council in December that year.
However, the construction of the project was pushed back time and time again with two-year extensions for construction commencement given to the developer, OX2, twice; first in 2020 and again in 2022.
The second extension will expire on the December 7.
The initial planning permits proposed a 106-megawatt utility-scale solar farm covering 192.2 hectares of Lancaster soil.
The site is about 8km east of Kyabram, bordered by Ryan Rd, Park Rd and Sellwood Rd.
A council representative said an application to extend a planning permit was assessed by officers on its merits.
“Two extensions of time have been granted. The latest extension requires works to commence by December 7, 2024,” the spokesperson said.
“We have not been provided with any recent updates on the timing of construction occurring.”
While extensions have not been sought with council, there were signs of movement with the solar project earlier this year.
In March 2024, a removal of native vegetation planning permit was submitted to the Victorian Department of Transport and Planning to “facilitate the construction of an overhead transmission line proposed to connect the approved Lancaster Solar Farm Project ... into the electricity network”.
Proposed was the removal of a total of 0.383 hectares of native vegetation, including the removal of six trees, five large and one small — with the five large trees required to be offset.
The application was put up for public notice on May 2, but was withdrawn on June 6.
A representative from OX2 said final plans and approvals for the project were currently being sought and that construction was “expected to commence in the coming months”.
They said the project had been delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, which “caused delays in finalising construction plans”.
“Information about the construction time frame will be shared with local businesses and community members at the appropriate time,” the representative said.
Time will tell if this project’s development finally gets under way, but one thing is for certain, the developer is working against a clock that is soon set to run out.