September 20, 2012
Australia, Press releases

Research shows the real local community stands against proposed Collector Windfarm

September 19, 2012, Friends of Collector

Independent market research into the proposed Collector Windfarm released today has found community views significantly conflicting with research commissioned in 2010 by the windfarm developers RATCH and Transfield.

Commissioned by the Friends of Collector last month, the StollzNow Market Research report surveyed the local people living in all 238 households within a 10km radius of the proposed windfarm.

The regional study by the developer drew on a sample from up to 50km away – with almost all of the people surveyed living outside Collector in Canberra, Goulburn, Yass, Murrumbateman, Crookwell and other regional centres.

In contrast, 79 per cent of respondents to the StollzNow research live within 5km of the proposed windfarm and are likely to see one of the 68 turbines from their properties.

Applying robust methodology and focusing on all households within 10 km of the proposed development, StollzNow found:

81 per cent of residents do not wish for the wind farm to proceed.

53 per cent see no benefits for the Collector area, citing negative impacts to property values, landscape (visual), noise as well as health and environmental concerns.

21 percent are likely to relocate away from collector and a further 29 per cent are unsure whether they will remain or leave the area

52 per cent had been involved in the community consultation process run by the windfarm developer – yet 76 per cent are dissatisfied with the process.

Tony Hogdson, president of the Friends of Collector described the StollzNow survey as ‘the genuine article’ and heartening for local people.

“The RATCH/Transfield survey is deliberately misleading – particularly as the developer is telling the Government that this represents the views of the ‘local community”, he said.

“A RATCH executive has claimed that was why they were coming to Collector – that a majority of the ‘local’ community supported them and wanted them here. Well they are very wrong and this research proves it.

“That tricky stuff might work in Sydney but it sure doesn’t wash here – everyone knows it is the people living in close proximity to the turbines that are genuinely impacted by noise, health and just the visual pollution of these things.

“The research conducted by the developer might suit government bureaucrats in Sydney but how can the views of people in Crookwell and Goulburn be as valid as the views of people living right next to the proposed development?

“It’s like Sydney people being asked questions about a controversial development in Canberra and then claiming it represents the people of Canberra … that is not on.

“This is a big investment by a local community group to commission our own research to prove what the majority of the community knows … that this windfarm if it is ever approved will dramatically change our community [and] the landscape within which we live and impact our daily lives.

“It is really upsetting to know that if this goes ahead we will lose families and friends from the community because the very reasons they have chosen to live in Collector will have been stripped away by the wind farm and the developers”, he said.

THE FACTS: Community research vs. Developer research
Friends of Collector		RATCH/Transfield – Auspoll
The true position of the people of Collector: 112 respondents from all 238 households within 10km of the proposed wind farm		The Auspoll survey had a catchment area of 50 km from the proposed Collector wind farm (taking in as far as Goulburn, Canberra, Crookwell and Yass)
81% of residents do not wish the wind farm development to proceed, 13 % do and 5% are unsure Most (88%) believe they would see the wind farm development from their property Most (79%) live within 5 km of the proposed wind farm Over half (53%) see no benefits for Collector area if it proceeds Only 9% have no concerns at all about the wind farm development One in five (21%)‘strongly agree’ that they will relocate away from Collector if the wind farm development proceeds, with a further 29% ‘don’t know’ Over half (52%) have been involved in the community consultation process and of these 79% are either ‘dissatisfied’ or ‘very dissatisfied’ with the process		The Auspoll survey of 400 purported to show that 68% of respondents supported the Collector wind farm, with 14% opposed. Most (58%) had heard little about the Collector wind farm, 33% had heard nothing and 42% did not want any further information about the Collector wind farm. 60% of Auspoll respondents said they saw no impact/ minimal impact on the landscape. 73% of respondents could see neither the Cullerin Range nor the Capital wind farm (adjoining Collector) from their home. Only 3% lived within 1-5 km from either the Cullerin Range or Capital Wind Farms (adjoining Collector). 22% came from Goulburn, 16% from Bungendore, 12% from Gunning, 11% from Gundaroo, 6% from Collector, 5% each from Tarago and Murrumbateman, 3% from Canberra, Dalton and Sutton, 2% from Yass, and 1% each from Bywong, Crookwell and Lake Bathurst.

Further information – Friends of Collector – Rodd Pahl 0411 607 520, Frank Ross – Collector Books 0403 568 112, Vel Mckeachie 0434 532 716

September 19, 2012

Click here to download the report

URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2012/09/20/research-shows-the-real-local-community-stands-against-proposed-collector-windfarm/

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