February 11, 2014
Australia

50 speakers for Flyers Creek Wind Farm meeting

ABC News | 11 Feb 2014 | www.abc.net.au

Fifty people have registered to speak at a public hearing in Blayney to have their say on a proposed wind farm which is valued at nearly $200 million.

Infigen Energy’s proposal to build up to 43 turbines about 20 kilometres south of Orange is currently before the New South Wales Planning Assessment Commission (PAC).

The Department of Planning and Infrastructure has recommended the project be approved, with conditions, including the removal of two of the turbines because they would harm the view from a nearby property.

Fifty people, including Bathurst MP, Paul Toole, Leon Rodwell from Blayney Shire Council and owners of neighbouring properties have registered to voice their submissions on the project at the two day PAC hearing.

The Chairman of the Central New South Wales Renewable Energy Cooperative, Patrick Bradbery, says he supports the project’s approval.

He says his group’s research shows there’s no credible argument to oppose wind farm development.

“We’ve just completed a project where we assessed the community attitudes towards wind farms and discovered things like over 80% of the population are in favour of them,” he said.

We’ve looked at many of the particular objections like health, noise, visual and similar things and have found that there are no really credible arguments that could justify opposing (the) wind farm.”

Patina Schneider from the Wind Turbine Awareness Group says she’ll be raising concerns about the wind farm’s potential negative impacts including noise, sleep disturbance and property devaluation.

“Nobody’s being compensated. While a few people have been bought out at several wind farms to try and shut them up,” she said.

I mean other people have just had to walk out of their homes. Other people are living there in torture because they just can’t afford to walk out. Where do they go?”

Ms Schneider says people shouldn’t be threatened in their own homes by the impacts of wind farms such as noise and sleep disturbance.

She says if the Flyers Creek proposal is approved, the closest turbine would be 3.8 kilometres from her home.

“If they get their siting right which is a big problem at the moment we’ve seen that siting issues, wind turbines have been built in wrong spots,” she said.

Today’s meeting starts at 3pm (AEDT) at the Blayney Community Centre and a second day is scheduled to begin tomorrow morning.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2014/02/11/50-speakers-for-flyers-creek-wind-farm-meeting/