July 20, 2012
Australia

LGA urges more wind farm studies

ABC News | www.abc.net.au 20 July 2012

The Local Government Association (LGA) is urging independent studies be done on the social, health and economic impacts of wind farms.

The Association has urged the move in its submission to a parliamentary inquiry on wind farm developments.

Chris Russell of the LGA says it would also like to see a change in the way development applications are considered while the South Australian Government’s interim wind farm planning rules apply.

“If a wind farm application is lodged tomorrow, they’re not dealt with next year under the consultation-based modified rules,” he said.

“If the Government modifies them, they’re dealt with [under] the rules that have been given interim effect right now.”

Mr Russell says the SA Government should develop a ‘location assessment template’ which includes such things as aesthetic impacts and assessing compatibility with current land uses.

“We’d rather see them do that sort of work, identify where the key areas are where wind farms should go and focus on them, rather than trying to apply blanket rules to say ‘Well you know it can be anywhere outside the metropolitan area as long as it’s not [less than] one kilometre from a home’.”

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2012/07/20/lga-urges-more-wind-farm-studies/