The stench that lingers

By Melissa Meehan
Pakenham was once again a stinky town over the weekend and no-one is happy about it.
Pakenham resident and vice-president of the Pakenham Business Group, Michael Porter described the smell as “disgusting” on Sunday night and said it made its way into his house.
“The smell was so bad outside for about 20 minutes,” he said.
“As per usual it didn’t last long, but trying to get the smell out of the house once it’s in – impossible.”
The smell returned to the town again on Monday night.
“It was putrid out there again,” he said.
“I encourage the others to call the shire on 1300 787 624 to report it and help put pressure on to finally get rid of this.”
Mr Porter said he called the council every time he smelled the stench, and had previously spoken with the Environmental Protection Authority to no avail.
Council spokesman Paul Dunlop said appropriate action would be taken to address any unauthorised activity relating to odours recognised as a nuisance or which have emanated as a result of a breach of planning regulations.
“In the past council has worked with business operators and the EPA to reduce odours emanating from local businesses,” he said.
“In imposing strict conditions on businesses which contribute to unpleasant odours, council needs to assess whether the smell is a nuisance or an issue that needs to be addressed through planning regulations.”
He said if residents felt a particular smell was stronger on some days than others, they were encouraged to contact Council.