Council
10 September, 2025
Community deserves full transparency on Repoly application: Tuckerman
The Southern Highlands community deserves full transparency around the Repoly Pty Ltd application for a plastics recycling facility in Moss Vale according to Member for Goulburn, Wendy Tuckerman.
The Southern Highlands community deserves full transparency around the Repoly Pty Ltd application for a plastics recycling facility in Moss Vale according to Member for Goulburn, Wendy Tuckerman.
While the original application was rejected by the Independent Planning Commission earlier this year, Repoly (formerly Plasrefine Pty Ltd) has lodged a Class 1 merits appeal with the Land and Environment Court.
As reported by The Southern Wire earlier this week, a court-ordered conciliation conference in the case of Repoly Pty Ltd v Independent Planning Commission & Ors has been set down for November 17, 2025.
The Independent Planning Commission has advised there will be an opportunity for local residents and other non-expert participants to make verbal submission in relation to the DA before parties to the proceedings move into confidential discussions facilitated by a Commissioner from the Land and Environment Court.
Wingecarribee Shire Council is not a party to the proceedings and the number of people making verbal submissions prior to the confidential discussions will be strictly limited.
Mrs Tuckerman announced late Wednesday that she had lodged questions on notice to NSW Premier Chris Minns, Minister for Planning Paul Scully and Minister for Environment Penny Sharpe in relation to the Repoly DA.
Those questions are:
1. Have you or your representatives issued any directive to a Minister or NSW Department regarding the Development Application SSD-9409987, also known as Plasrefine or Repoly.
2. If yes, what was this directive?
Mrs Tuckerman said the community deserved transparency and honesty around the Repoly proposal, “not backroom deals or bureaucratic loopholes”.
“This project remains the wrong proposal, in the wrong place, and I will continue to stand with the Southern Highlands until it is stopped for good,” she said.
Mrs Tuckerman said that instead of respecting the decision of the Independent Planning Commission, the proponent had lodged an appeal with the Land and Environment Court.
“Residents will once again have to front up and make verbal submissions, even though they already fought and won this battle before the IPC,” she said.
“Meanwhile, Repoly has lodged amended plans in the background – a tactic that only adds to community frustration.”
She acknowledged the “tireless work” of those people continuing to fight the controversial proposal.
Anyone wanting to make a verbal submission at the on-site phase of the conciliation conference has until 5pm on October 10, 2025 to send an expression of interest to the Independent Planning Commission.
Expressions of interest should be emailed to ipcn@ipcn.nsw.gov.au with the subject ‘Repoly Conciliation Conference’ and should include the person’s contact details (email, phone number and address), details on whether they represent any other person or group and any matters or topics they wish to speak on.
The Independent Planning Commission has advised that in line with the Land and Environment Court’s Conciliation Conference Policy, the number of people making a verbal submission on-site will in most circumstances be limited to a number of six.
Priority may be given to residents directly affected by the proposed development, such as those living adjoining to or directly opposite the site. If there are “wider contentions” that people wish to articulate – such as impacts on the character of the area or wider traffic implications – a “representative person” should make the submission.
The Repoly (formerly Plasrefine) application is for a plastics recycling facility with the capacity to process up to 120,000 tonnes of plastic waste per annum and to manufacture plastic fibres and resins.
The application has been the subject of on-going opposition from people across the Southern Highlands with concerns raised over everything from site suitability to the impact of microplastics on human health.
The Independent Planning Commission refused consent for the application (SSD-9409987) in January. The Commission found that although plastic recycling in NSW is in the public interest and that the facility would support employment and economic activity, the benefits of the project were “outweighed by the negative impacts of locating a plastics recycling facility of this scale on the specific proposed site at the interface with residential zones”.
It found the amenity of residential and other uses in adjoining zones would be “significantly impacted” by the proposed project.
Read More: Southern Highlands, Moss Vale