Council hires extra staff over contentious wind farm proposal | Meg Whitfield | The Examiner | January 17 2022 | www.examiner.com.au
Circular Head Council is preparing to “be swamped” over the development application lodged for up to 122 wind turbines on Robbins Island, according to council mayor Daryl Quilliam.
The development application for the contentious project was lodged by UPC Robbins Island and opened for public representations on January 15.
Cr Quilliam said the council understood the community was divided on the project and as such had decided to hire a building down the street from the council chambers specifically for people to go and get more information, or make representations.
“I think there’ll be a number of people against it,” Cr Quilliam said, “and I suspect some people for it too.
“What they’ve just got to realise is that as a council we’ve got to deal with specific items of the project, and that there are things the Environmental Protection Agency and Federal Government (deal with) that have nothing to do with us.”
Cr Quilliam said this was the first time a building had been rented out and staffed to handle queries over a planning permit.
“We want to do this properly, and we want everyone to have a fair look at it.”
UPC/AS Renewables COO David Pollington said the lodging of the development application was an exciting step towards building a low-cost renewable industry for Tasmania.
“It is the culmination of more than four years of complex technical and environmental studies,” Mr Pollington said. “The project team has spent considerable time working with community and stakeholders.
“This project is one of the largest investments ever in Tasmania at more than $1.6 billion and we believe it offers the right mix of benefits and opportunities for the Circular Head region and the state of Tasmania.”
Mr Pollington said he encouraged the community to read the assessment reports attached to the application and to share their views, whether they be “positive or negative.”
Public representations can be made until February 28.
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2022/01/17/circular-head-council-anticipates-being-swamped-over-robbins-island-proposal/