Stephen Welstead, Coopers Shoot
At the proposed stage 1 $24 million, 21,400m2 food hub at Bangalow the principal activities will include ‘livestock processing’, commonly known as an abattoir and associated facilities and activities including the lairage, slaughter, boning, value adding (retail ready/smallgoods processing, etc), chiller and freezer areas, distribution facility. Other businesses will be a restaurant (steak, anybody?), food tourism, training facility, local produce, etc.
Bangalow residents in the western section of the village need to be aware that abattoirs give off smells (google it) including manure/urine smells as well as a stench derived from blood and guts, wastewater, etc which will affect the western section of the village on a regular basis – affecting their amenity, real estate values and quality of life.
There will be noise from the cattle/pig trucks and the lairage. Bangalow as a tourism town will be affected as the village is considered to be ‘on the nose’.
Considering that livestock production on the coast has been in decline for many years now owing to the proliferation of plantations, this means this location would be less than desirable for a major abattoir. The expectation that the majority of workers will travel from Lismore, Casino and Kyogle (for a round trip of 70–130 kilometres a day) would also indicate that this location is not a good business decision. This development is also only 500 metres west of Bangalow village, and the lower section of the site is flood-affected.
