July 15, 2013
Australia

Turbulence ahead

Wellington Times | July 15, 2013 | www.wellingtontimes.com.au

There could be impending trouble at a NSW Planning Assessment Commission public meeting later this month in Wellington over the Bodangora windfarm.

Katter’s Australia Party (KAP) Member for Kennedy Bob Katter has joined Dalrymple MP Shane Knuth and Tablelands Regional Councillor Marjori Pagani in demanding an end to the torture of residents who might live next door to a wind farm in their region.

Their call follows another request by the Mount Emerald wind farm developers for an extension of time to lodge information required by the council to decide whether the project should proceed.

The group’s call may also inflame feelings ahead of a windfarm meeting organised by the NSW Planning Assessment Commission in Wellington on July 29 at the Soldiers Memorial Club.

The project manager for the project Frank Boland has been in Wellington over the last few days engaging with land holders, he said the response has been very good so far.

In the Northern Tablelands Thai developers of a controversial project have spent more than 18 months delaying handing over information about impacts on the environment as well as impacts on the farms, homes and health of 3000 residents.

“I hope and plead with the council to stand their ground on this. People are living from day-to-day at the moment and that is just not good enough,” Mr Katter said.

“There are serious implications of the noise levels for Mareeba and Atherton Heights, as we refer to this area – development and growth will be stopped dead in its tracks.

“And I’m no greenie, but there’s a 20 kilometre barrier that will kill every bird flying through.

“Meanwhile, the turbulence created will make crop spraying almost impossible. And we’ll be locked into high cost generation charges.”

Dalrymple MP Shane Knuth said he was shocked at reports the federal member for Leichhardt supported the project.

“I’ve had gut full of the LNP outfit expressing their views to back overseas companies while being invisible to dialogue with affected residents about local projects that have nothing to do with them,” Mr Knuth said.


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/07/15/turbulence-ahead/