February 12, 2007
Australia
Australia
The Land and Environment Court has rejected an appeal against a wind farm development in the southern New South Wales village of Taralga.
Handing down the judgement this morning, the chief judge of the court, Justice Preston, said a wind farm was a difficult concept for some people to accept.
“The insertion of wind turbines into a non-industrial landscape is perceived by many as a radical change which confronts their present reality,” Justice Preston said in his ruling.
“However, those perceptions come in differing hues. To residents, such as members of Taralga Landscape Guardians Inc (the Guardians), the change is stark and negative. It would represent a blight and the confrontation is with their enjoyment of their rural setting.”
“To others, however, the change is positive. It would represent an opportunity to shift from societal dependence on high emission fossil fuels to renewable energy sources. For them, the confrontation is beneficial ““ being one much needed step in policy settings confronting carbon emissions and global warming.”
“Resolving this conundrum – the conflict between the geographically narrower concerns of the Guardians and the broader public good of increasing the supply of renewable energy – has not been easy,” he said.
However, I have concluded that, on balance, the broader public good must prevail.”
RES Southern Cross plans to build 62 wind turbines near the village of Taralga.
It was originally to be 69, but the company failed to secure the consent of the landowner where the turbines would have been placed.
Read the full judgement here
12 February 2007
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2007/02/12/taralga-wind-farm-appeal-rejected/