$100k offered to substation neighbours, says resident

On Monday, November 27, the electricity company announced it would go ahead with construction, despite pushback from residents.

One resident, Nicole Elliott, said she attended a meeting on December 2, and was frustrated the "experts" available appeared to be "public relations".

Ms Elliott said she wasn't about to use a token to choose a fence colour.

"It makes it seem like I support this," she said.

Ms Elliott said she had spoken to residents along York Street who still had no idea a substation was being built at 203 York Street.

"About 20 houses had no idea, right next to the site," she said.

Ms Elliot said she had been told the houses sharing a fence with the substation would be offered $100,000.

"The rest of us are being offered solar panels," she said.

Powercor will be offering payments up to $10,000 to fund the installation of 5kW solar systems for community members whose homes are materially within a 100-metre radius of the site.

A Powercor spokesperson said due to privacy, they couldn't confirm offers.

"We have been contacting all property owners bordering and adjacent to the site to discuss our Direct Neighbour Payments with those owners individually," the spokesperson said.

"Our offer is based on an independent assessment of potential property impacts although, for privacy reasons, we will not be disclosing this."

This is a part of their $2 million community benefits package which was announced alongside the substation.

Site photos from the meeting seen by The Courier shows the substation will reach the boundaries of the site, covering around 1.9 acres.

Another neighbouring resident, Annette, said infographics from the Powercor community meeting showed some of the substation infrastructure would be 11 metres in height.

Another graphic showed the switch room would be seven metres high.

The City of Ballarat council reaffirmed its commitment to advocating for residents.

Mayor Des Hudson said the council does not support the proposed location for the power or electrical substation.

"Council officers have written to Powercor, including raising residents' concerns over flooding, property values and noise, and have had follow up conversations advocating for identification of alternative locations following Powercor's announcement in late November," he said.

"The CEO and I have also recently met with concerned residents and followed up by discussing these concerns with our local members of Parliament."

The site is near a walking path, Pennyweight Gully, and opposite Pennyweight Park Reserve as well as residential houses along one side.

Residents have also claimed the flood plan from Powercor would lead to flooding in areas around the site.

Another concern from residents were should the York Street site be built up and a pipe swale put in, it would flood the surrounding streets.

York Street has previously been flagged for flooding by the State Emergency Service, including the site of the proposed substation.

The SES website states floods in Ballarat East, Canadian, Golden Point and Eureka rise and fall, and move quickly (normally within hours).

The SES local flood guide said Pennyweight Gully is at risk of flooding, potentially affecting roads and properties around York, Little Dodd and Larter Streets and Main Road.

One resident also questioned where water would go when the substation was built. She said it seemed like Powercor was only worrying about their site.

The Powercor spokesperson said they were aware flooding was a concern from residents.

"Our new substation will not increase flood risks within this neighbourhood and will include design features in the layout to minimise this," the spokesperson said.

"Based on feedback from the community in preliminary consultation, an independent technical assessment was undertaken when reviewing the Ballarat East site as an option.

"This water modelling study assessed what currently occurs at the site, what impact a new zone substation may have on the site and surrounds, and what flood mitigation activities need to occur. This is helping inform how we design the site."

Powercor were also unable to confirm if the site needed to be built up.

"We are still finalising designs and we encourage residents to continue to engage with us on the look and feel of the site," the spokesperson said.

According to the Real Estate Institute of Victoria market snapshot, the median price for a house in Ballarat East is $490,000 - around $400,000 for a two bedroom and over $620,000 for a four bedroom.

On one real estate website, a number of properties were on sale on York Street including a three-bedroom house near the site for sale for $420,000.

Other neighbouring homes are estimated to sell for between $450,000 to $500,000 but concerns have also been raised about dropping property value when the substation is built.

Despite concerns of the location of the proposed substation, residents say they aren't opposed to a third substation being built in Ballarat, as two other substations are at capacity.

When complete, the Ballarat East zone substation will supply power for an estimated 14,400 customers.

When it came to the cost of the site in the 1970s, Powercor were unable to confirm.

"The site was originally purchased by the State Electricity Commission of Victoria in 1973," the spokesperson said.

"Powercor came into existence in 1994 and this site, along with other electricity distribution assets would have been transferred to Powercor ownership from the SECV at that time."