CASTERTON’S Kelpie Centre is being re-evaluated as a potential location for an electric vehicle charging station, after community members voiced their rejection of the proposed site at the Town Hall on Henty Street.

Originally rejected by residents after being offered as the preferred location. due to would-be difficulties related to the building’s underground utilities, the company rolling out the project, Evie Networks, is examining it again after local residents pointed out the nearby power pole on the corner of Wathen and Jackson Street, from which the potential station could access energy.

Another location near the Casterton and District Historical Society building is also being examined.

The re-examination is the result of a visit made from Evie Networks’ Brooke Martin last Wednesday, where he met business owners along Henty Street and met with community members at the Kelpie Centre to receive feedback on the project.

Nearly a dozen locals attended the meeting and the turnout was attributed to a lack of advertising of Mr Martin’s visit, as information about it was only published via the Casterton News in an article and Glenelg Shire’s Facebook page, the day before.

No representative for the Glenelg Shire, which had revealed the proposal and invited community feedback the week before, was present at the meeting.

The proposed Henty St site was criticised for taking up parking space used by locals to access shops on the main street, as well as the fact amenities at the Town Hall would be unavailable for visitors outside the hours the building was open.

While one reason given for selecting the Henty St site for the proposal was its proximity to a power pole, one local said placing the station near the Kelpie Centre would be more suitable.

“Just on the corner of Wathen and Jackson, you’ve got more power than you’ve got anywhere else probably in town,” he said.

“Why won’t you put two electric bays there – within 50 metres of the amenities available 24 hours a day?”

Mr Martin had visited the suggested site after the meeting and said while suggestions put forward by the community would be examined, perceived issues would have to be accounted for.

“The only downfall is the distance to the power source (and) the site’s currently unsealed,” he said.

“Should it be sealed, great site, certainly something we would be interested in pursuing.”

He also said he would visit the area near the Casterton and District Historical Society building which community members had suggested as another potential site.

“My thoughts initially, without even looking at it, is that side will be unviable because there’s two petrol stations which we’ll compete with,” he said.

Issues raised at the meeting including the proposed site’s impact on local shopping and the perceived inconsistency in placement choices when the proposal for the charging station at Portland placed it near the town’s Maritime Discovery Centre instead of within the CBD.

“This town is so condensed up and down this street, you come here, you will not get a car park on the weekend – and you want to take two of those,” one local said.

The Casterton township – including Henty St – is deemed to have significance in a Victorian Heritage Database report, which was highlighted at the meeting.

“The Casterton township is of historical, cultural, social and architectural significance to the Glenelg Shire,” one community member said.

“For (the station) to be even thought of in that location bewilders me.”

Mr Martin said the company would not be looking at the proposed Henty St site and would pursue other locations suggested.

“(The Glenelg Shire was) trying to work with us to come out with the best solution for the community,” he said.

“I’ve pulled out my day to make sure I can come here, to listen to everyone to make sure we can come up with the best solution.

“We obviously understand now there’s been some pushback and we’re saying we’re not going to go forward there, we’ll look somewhere else.”

Community members were also critical of the Glenelg Shire’s process for examining sites and collecting community feedback.

“They can put triangle signs up out the front of the steps for every other thing and yet, for something like this that’s affecting the community, why couldn’t they have had something on the front door … and notified the public?” one person said.

Another said “you wouldn’t fit people in this room” if the shire had advertised the meeting for community feedback more broadly, particularly in non-online spaces.

Mr Martin was asked whether the community would be kept informed about the progress of the project, given little information had been supplied previously.

“I’ll discuss that with council as well,” he said.

Community members present said they appreciated him visiting the town to discuss the proposal in the town.

Prior to the meeting, Mr Martin spoke to the Casterton News about the proposed charging station and the community’s major concerns regarding its suggested location.

He said the issue surrounding the Kelpie Weekend making a Henty St station inaccessible had “not been discussed” but visitors with electric vehicles would be able to access charging at the Casterton Caravan Park, albeit with much longer waiting times.

“That’s what they call an overnight A/C unit – 6 to 8 hours to charge and you can install more of those for that time of year,” he said.

It is also understood that the charging station at Island Park is for one make of vehicle only, which would exclude owners of other vehicle makes.

The Kelpie Centre had been the initial proposal to locate the station but it was determined work would be highly disruptive there.

“That’s obviously a green star-rated building, so there’s a lot of services underfoot to make sure that it reaches its green star rating,” Mr Martin said.

“The point of supply is just by the creek bed and we wouldn’t be able to cross through there without substantial disruptions to the underground (assets) … which would come at quite a cost and obviously could cause some issues to the Kelpie Centre itself.”

Another proposal to install the station in the Island Park complex was rejected due to lighting and distance from the CBD, while space on the other side of Henty St from the Kelpie Centre was decided against due to impact on residential areas.

“You don’t want to put a charger in front of a residency because … we don’t want to muck with their enjoyment, nor does the council, nor does anyone else,” Mr Martin said.

He also said the project was about investing in the local economy.

“People are charging for 30 to 40 minutes – in that 30 to 40 minutes, we want them spending money on your town,” he said.

“With the next generation as we’re moving forward, you want to be drawing people into your local town, you want them to be exploring.”

Feedback submissions to the Glenelg Shire on the charging station proposal are still open until Friday.

Comment can be made online via the Your Say Glenelg website at yoursay.glenelg.vic.gov.au or written submissions can be handed in at the Town Hall’s customer service centre.

The project is intended to be completed by the end of July.