Tamworth Mayor Russell Webb has expressed disappointment at the approval of the Hills of Gold Wind Farm in Nundle that was announced yesterday, saying that Tamworth welcomes renewable projects but that Hills Of Gold is “in the wrong place.”
Speaking at a press conference on Fitzroy Street this morning, Mayor Webb cited two specific concerns with the proposal.
“Firstly, there’s been some biodiversity impacts that nobody up in that area felt comfortable with,” Mayor Webb said.
“I understand that the environmental people were very uncomfortable with that – we as a council supported that position.”
“We think that that is one of the reasons why this development should not have gone ahead in that location.”
“That’s where we’ve stood from the very beginning, and that’s why we have been opposed to this particular development, great development, very much in the wrong place.”
But the biggest problem on top of that, Mayor Webb says, were concerns around the infrastructure needed to build the turbines in the first place, with Nundle’s notoriously tight mountain roads, including the notorious Devil’s Elbow, and steep slopes likely requiring comprehensive engineering works in order for trucks carrying turbines to get through.
Tamworth Regional Council would likely be responsible for the maintenance of any new roadworks in the future.
“The work that has to be done to make these sites accessible, to put this infrastructure in place, is very problematic, and will create, potentially, a legacy for us as an organisation, as a community, into the future.”
“I don’t think there’s been enough thought given to what that legacy will be for our community.”
Mayor Webb says he thinks “there is a political imperative to actually get some of these renewable energy projects up and running,” and the amount of changes in development before it was finalised.
“There was a reduction in the size of that particular development, it was reduced down to a certain level and eventually that got approved at State level.”
“And then within a period of only a week or two, there were modifications called for again, putting back in more of those wind turbines where initially they had actually agreed in the first approval that they weren’t going to go there.”
“So, there’s been so many iterations, so many changes, people have just become quite cynical about the whole process, and very cynical towards, I guess, the New South Wales Government and now the Federal government on how they judge these things.”
When asked if Tamworth Regional Council had been railroaded into accepting the farm, Webb replied “I wouldn’t say railroaded, but I think we’ve been overruled by people that have got that political imperative, and they’re not thinking about the long-term future of that particular area.”
“They’re just thinking about what their goals and triggers that they’ve set to be ticked off as a government, both federal and state, these things are way out of our control.”
Mayor Webb also said that Tamworth Regional Council is also working with the Hills of Gold Preservation Incorporated’s appeal in the Lands and Environment court.
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