January 24, 2011
Australia
Australia
Community fighter battling against the wind
BY STEPHANIE ANDERSON, The Canberra Times, www.canberratimes.com.au 24 January 2011
BY STEPHANIE ANDERSON, The Canberra Times, www.canberratimes.com.au 24 January 2011
For Humphrey Price-Jones, green energy can be a bad thing.
As a member of the Friends of Crookwell community organisation, Mr Price-Jones is in favour of eco-friendly developments.
But, he says, there is no place for wind farms in the Southern Tablelands.
”There are members of our group that are not opposed to wind turbines per se, but are opposed to inappropriate wind turbines.
”… If one looks at that kind of landscape and you put something that’s taller than the Sydney Harbour Bridge, as tall as Black Mountain Tower on that ridgeline, it is going to have a significant impact on a landscape. ”… I think anywhere on the Southern Tablelands is inappropriate for wind turbines.” Unfortunately for Mr Price-Jones, there are more than 700 turbines proposed, approved or already operating at wind farms throughout the region.
The most recent development is planned near Collector – where yesterday Mr Price-Jones met locals to form another community organisation, the Friends of Collector.
Collector resident Rodd Pahl said more than 50 people attended the town hall meeting to found the group, which will coordinate opposition to a proposal by Transfield Services for 80 turbines.
”People of Collector are deeply concerned about the impacts,” he said.
”… This isn’t just a nimby issue.”
Like the Friends of Crookwell, Collector residents are willing to aid green energy developments such as solar power. ”Essentially, we voted almost unanimously for a solar option,” Mr Pahl said.
He said the recent planning approval for the $150 million Capital Solar Farm near Bungendore could mean another green energy option for the area, particularly as one of the proponents also owned a nearby wind farm.
Mr Pahl handed out correspondence from the Member for Burrinjuck, Katrina Hodgkinson, outlining her mixed feelings about wind farms. She said such developments could sometimes be built with ”little regard to the feelings and concerns of the local community”.
No representatives from Transfield Services were at the community meeting.
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2011/01/24/community-fighter-battling-against-the-wind/