| Wind Watch is a registered educational charity, founded in 2005. |
Country ‘predominant’ despite turbines
Translate: FROM English | TO English
Translate: FROM English | TO English
Central Otago’s vast landscape would retain its rural character despite the construction of a 176-turbine wind farm on the Lammermoor Range, an Environment Court appeal hearing was told yesterday.
Meridian Energy’s second witness, landscape architect Peter Rough, of Christchurch, said although Project Hayes turbines would be visible from parts of Central Otago, the plains and mountain ranges of the area would continue to dominate the landscape.
Mr Rough said other wind farms constructed overseas comprised dense clusters of turbines and had changed the nature of landscapes to those of an industrial character.
“I am not seeing an industrial landscape when I look at computer images of the proposed [Project Hayes] wind farm.
The rural character is still the predominant character of that landscape,” he said.
Project Hayes would be the largest wind farm in the southern hemisphere and one of the five biggest in the world.
It comprised 92sq km of Central Otago freehold farming land 15km west of Middlemarch.
When questioned by appellant lawyer Neville Marquet, of Dunedin, Mr Rough said the Lammermoor Range was not an outstanding landscape, in contrast to the adjoining Te Papanui Conservation Park and Rock and Pillar Range properties.
Mr Rough’s evidence was the only evidence heard in yesterday’s hearing.
The last two weeks of the appeal hearing over the wind farm, starting August 18, will be held in Dunedin.
Judge Jon Jackson said the change was appropriate because the city was closer to the site “as the crow flies”.
By Rosie Manins
22 May 2008
This article is the work of the source indicated. Any opinions expressed in it are not necessarily those of National Wind Watch.
The copyright of this article resides with the author or publisher indicated. As part of its noncommercial educational effort to present the environmental, social, scientific, and economic issues of large-scale wind power development to a global audience seeking such information, National Wind Watch endeavors to observe “fair use” as provided for in section 107 of U.S. Copyright Law and similar “fair dealing” provisions of the copyright laws of other nations. Send requests to excerpt, general inquiries, and comments via e-mail.
| Wind Watch relies entirely on User Contributions |
 (via Stripe) |
 (via Paypal) |
Share:
[ Short URL: https://wind-watch.org/news/?p=53284 ]
