Orbit Solutions Champions Landscape Protection with Strategic Undergrounding Recommendation for the Western Renewables Link

Orbit Solutions was engaged by Melton City Council to conduct a detailed Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment (LVIA) Addendum concerning the proposed Western Renewables Link (WRL) transmission line. Orbit's rigorous analysis revealed that the originally proposed overhead lines—featuring massive towers up to 80 metres high with high-contrast red and white aviation safety colouring—would inflict a "Major Adverse" and irreversible visual impact on highly sensitive peri-urban areas, including MacPherson Park and Harkness Memorial Park. Leveraging advanced methodologies like Key Observation Point (KOP) evaluations and AlignView photomontages, Orbit expertly demonstrated that the overhead infrastructure fundamentally breached acceptable visual absorption thresholds and would permanently industrialise the region's open landscape character.  

Acting as the primary strategic advisor for visual amenity preservation, Orbit formulated a comprehensive mitigation strategy that strongly recommended a partial underground delivery of the WRL within a 1.5-kilometre visual buffer of these sensitive zones. Orbit further protected the community's natural amenity by providing precise siting criteria for the necessary transition gantries, ensuring these industrial structures were strategically placed beyond the visual catchment of the parks to successfully align the project with local planning objectives.

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