A development application for a new weighbridge and upgraded facilities at the Hunter Regional Livestock Exchange has been approved as part of a four million dollar improvement project, at this week’s Singleton Council meeting.
The approval paves the way for replacement of the existing weighbridge and livestock holding pens, along with a reconfiguration of loading areas to accommodate truck deliveries. A report to the meeting said the works would not increase the scale or intensity of the site’s existing operations, including livestock throughput or holding capacity, but would improve operational management of livestock weighing, handling and vehicle movements.
In other business, councillors supported a notice of motion from Cr McLachlan for Council to prepare a comprehensive submission backing the continuation of the HVO North and HVO South open-cut mining operations. Council also endorsed a notice of motion from Cr Watson for Mayor Sue Moore to write to local NAIDOC Week organisers and volunteers thanking them for their contribution, reaffirming Council’s commitment to reconciliation and condemning discriminatory behaviour directed at Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community members online.
On the Singleton Gym + Swim 25-metre pool, a third project status report showed promising results from trials to heat the pool for temporary use without an enclosure. Tenders for a permanent solution have now closed and are being carefully assessed.
Council also resolved to enter a four-year lease, with an optional one-year extension, for a Council-owned property to be used by Upper Hunter Homeless Support, waiving the minimum fee under its community lease policy. A fee waiver for Singleton Legacy’s annual Badge Week Appeal was approved on an ongoing basis, while a request to waive fees for the introduction of Singleton Farmers Markets was not supported.
Other decisions included Council’s adoption of a new Artificial Intelligence policy, the installation of pole-mounted electric vehicle chargers on Cambridge Street, Howe Street and Townhead Cresent in Singleton, and the awarding of a tender for plant and equipment hire.
