Step towards wind-farm guidelines
The Palmerston North City Council last night took the first steps towards developing best-practice guidelines for the development of wind farms in the city’s boundaries.
At the planning and policy committee meeting, councillors voted to instruct staff to start working on guidelines to help steer wind-farm development in the future.
The idea was moved by Cr Michael Feyen, and seconded by Cr John Hornblow.
Cr Feyen said it was essential to start the ball rolling, before the hills were inundated with turbines.
“We need to get something like this on the table to protect our ranges.”
The speed at which turbines had already spread across the hills showed something had to be done, and fast.
In particular, it was needed in light of the proposed Turitea Wind Farm, which would add another 131 turbines to the hills, he said.
But council senior policy planner David Murphy advised against the motion, saying it would be expensive, time consuming and would be better dealt with as part of the upcoming district plan review.
Cr Hornblow said that should not deter the council, which had to take a leadership role on what was a vital issue for the community.
“We’re responding reactively, not proactively, in an ad hoc manner.”
Creating guidelines would assist changes to the district plan, he said.
“My end result for this is that the district plan is robust.”
Mayor Jono Naylor spoke against rushing the development of guidelines, advocating Mr Murphy’s position, because the motion called for the guidelines to be completed by February 2009, a deadline Mr Murphy said was untenable.
In the end, Cr Bruce Wilson compromised, suggesting that instead of full guidelines, a report “designed to lead to policy” be brought to the committee in February.
The committee agreed and the motion passed with only Mr Naylor voting against.
* The planning and policy committee’s recommendation will now be considered at the full council meeting on October 29.
By Katie Chapman
7 October 2008
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Tags: Wind power, Wind energy
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