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Local man vocally opposed to wind farm
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A Waverley businessman has come out fighting against a wind farm being proposed for coastal land near the South Taranaki town.
Australian company Allco Wind Energy announced in April it planned to construct a 45-turbine wind farm on Stewart Rd, 6km south-west of Waverley.
Resource consent application was lodged with the South Taranaki District Council in September, and the closing date for submissions on the application was November 16.
The council was yesterday unable to give details on the number of submissions and whether they were supporting or opposing.
But one local who is vocal in his opposition to the wind farm is property developer Roger Dickie, who is building a residential subdivision next to the wind farm.
In August, Mr Dickie was reported in the Wanganui Chronicle as saying the wind farm would not be an issue for his subdivision.
“Put it this way the noise of the sea would be louder than the wind farm,” he said.
At that time Mr Dickie believed the wind farm would be located about 3km from the subdivision. But now, he said, the wind farm plans revealed the closest turbine would be 300m from parts of the subdivision.
“They [Allco] seem to think they can plonk their wind farm wherever they want.”
Mr Dickie said he doubted the usefulness of wind farms.
“They’re incredibly inefficient. And why do we need them? We don’t have a shortage of power in New Zealand.”
Mr Dickie was unimpressed by Allco’s efforts to “brainwash” the Waverley and Patea communities by holding information days on the wind farm.
“Allco have been parsimonious with the truth about the noise the turbines will make. People don’t understand what theyre letting themselves in for.”
Mr Dickie said the turbines were so big they’d be visible from Lake Alice to Stratford, and would be a risk to air traffic.
“These things will be 45 storeys high. They are massive.”
He also questioned the environmental impact of the turbines being located in a coastal protection area.
“More pylons will be needed to get the power into the national grid do we want more of them?”
Allco could not be reached for comment.
By Anne-Marie Emerson
20 November 2007
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