AN ABATTOIR promising hundreds of jobs has received the go-ahead from Maranoa Regional Council but residents close to the site have raised concerns about its impact.

Valinda Team, which has been in talks with the council to build an abattoir since 2013, was granted the preliminary approval for development of a site on the corner of the Warrego Highway and Pickanjinnie North Rd, 7km west of Wallumbilla.

Seven public submissions were made by nearby residents, who say their worries about noise, smell and traffic from an estimated 460 staff and 1200 cattle per day have not yet been assuaged.

On top of that, the massive impact to the area's limited water supply has the locals most riled.

"Most of the towns in this area draw water from aquifers in the Great Artesian Basin; some take from the Gubberamunda, others from the Mooga or Hutton Sandstone," Basin Sustainability Alliance secretary and Wallumbilla grazier Jenny York said.

"You have a lot of the towns that use it, and some of the bores are not producing the water they want any more, and the had to put new bores down.

"So, while they have that water still available, they could still access it, but if that water was no longer available, that is going to make life pretty tough.

"There's just not enough water for this to go ahead."

In its application for preliminary approval, Valinda Team has been brief in its handling of potential water issues, stating in its response to Mrs York's submission: "The Department of Natural Resources, Mines and Energy had requested the water allocation be kept separate to the preliminary approval application."

"In their reports, Valinda are saying that they will be liaising with the Department of Natural Resources, Mines and Energy to check what water they can get, and I do believe they were actually going to try for a State Government project of state significance," Mrs York said. 

"If they could get that, then they could bypass all of the regulations, by my understanding, and simply take all the water they want and nobody could complain about it - that is probably the worst part."

In order to get their development approval, Valinda Team will have to provide solutions to concerns raised by each of the seven submissions.

While the council has attempted to take a diplomatic approach in offering its in-principle support, it is looking to see more from the developers before they go for a full development permit.

"I did vote for the meatworks, and I'd like to acknowledge the submitters in relation to the issues they have brought up about the impact of a meatworks in the area," Mayor Tyson Golder said.

"I certainly believe that this is only a preliminary approval, and the developer has to come back and satisfy the issues they have raised to get their next approval.

"This is a major point tht has been brought up by the submitters - the people who live there - and I would not like to see anything that would affect the quiet enjoyment of their property.

"We need an abattoir, but it can't just be at any cost."