Bendemeer Solar Farm

My wife and I reject and resent the replacement of the beautiful Australian bush and scenery by ugly industrial structures. I have personally witnessed at close range the disturbing sub noise created by wind turbines.

I am a local and I am a huge supporter of this project. To see that we are supporting the work that is needed to stop climate change, and replace coal for electricity is inspiring and I am glad we get to be a part of it. My concern is that only noisey minority of 'Not in my backyard' people opposed will bother to have their say here, and if we miss out, it would be bad for both the environment, and the example we set to our children.

Concerned for water pollution to the River causing irreversible damage. It will be a horrible sight causing our little town to lose it's wonderful outlook and travellers to town.

I object to the disgraceful proposition to build a solar factory on grazing land in a high rainfall area. The project is also too close to the village and many family homes. This is unfair and causing great distress to my family who live in Bendemeer. I stay with my family most weekends and the unhappiness is palpable and is affecting everybody. They bought their property because of its beautiful views, have worked so hard and the placing of this industrial development so close to this community is damaging their mental health. A few jobs and dollars for a few when this is made possible by ruining others' lives and destroying the views and environment of this area is reprehensible and should not proceed. Australia is a massive country with a small band of high rainfall agricultural land on its perimeter yet this is placed on top of a small village upsetting so many - it is shameful. Sitting on the hills opposite the village, beside the water supply on high fire risk land upsetting so many is irresponsible.

I strongly object to the project because
1. The solar farm is 1.2 km away from the Bendemeer township and no other solar farms are this close to a town
2. There is a 10km buffer zone in several larger towns for wind & solar but no buffer zone for our small town
3. The solar farm is being built on grazing land
4. The solar farm is being built right beside our town water supply and may seap into the town water if the panels are broken by a hail storm or damaged in any way
8. Our soil in bendemeer id granite which filters water and doesnt hold the water that the solar farm say they can hold in seepage dams it will seep right through into the McDonald River in the town water supply
9. The visual effects are huge with the solar farm being right on the Oxley Highway it will cause glare to drivers and residents that live near by
10. The roads are not built to withstand large machinery continually the Oxley Highway is only 2 narrow lanes that arent in good condition already

As a long time resident of Bendemeer I support the solar farm development because it is the way of the future, providing clean energy. It will also bring benefits to our small community which we would otherwise not get. I do not believe that the solar panels will pollute the environment, specifically the river, as the “No” campaigners would have us believe.

xxxxxx

I strongly object to the project because

1. The solar farm is 1.2 km away from the Bendemeer township and no other solar farms are this close to a town
2. There is a 10km buffer zone in several larger towns for wind & solar but no buffer zone for our small town
3. The solar farm is being built on good grazing land that will be ruined forever
4. The landscape will be cleared from trees and vegetation that the wildlife depend on
5. This will also kill alot of wildlife
6. The solar farm is being built right beside our town water supply and may seap into the town water if the panels are broken by a hail storm or damaged in any way
7. The visual effects are huge with the solar farm being right on the Oxley Highway it will cause glare to drivers and residents that live near by
8. The roads are not built to withstand large machinery continually the Oxley Highway is only 2 narrow lanes that arent in good condition already lanes need to be 3.6 wide ours are only 3m wide
9.The project has caused a separation in the community
11. The community & adjoining Neighbours need to be able to have a say about what they have in their backyard
12. Will increase crime in our town with lots of extra people around

5. The landscape will be cleared from trees and vegetation that the wildlife depend on
6. This will also kill alot of wildlife
7. The solar farm is being built right beside our town water supply and may seap into the town water if the panels are broken by a hail storm or damaged in any way
8. Our soil in bendemeer is granite which filters water and doesnt hold the water that the solar farm say they can hold in seepage dams it will seep right through into the McDonald River in the town water supply
9. The visual effects are huge with the solar farm being right on the Oxley Highway it will cause glare to drivers and residents that live near by
10. The roads are not built to withstand large machinery continually the Oxley Highway is only 2 narrow lanes that arent in good condition already , the lanes are less then the 3.6 required and are only 3m lanes
11. This is causing mental health issues with myself . The Bendemeer energy hub has said it wont affect real estate prices but they are wrong they used Glenn Innes as a example but the wind towers are 37 kms away from Gelnn Innes and ours solar 1.2 km and towers 5km will see a decrease in real estate prices of up to 30%
12. We have a family registered airstrip around 2.2 km as the crow flies from the solar site on Vermount which is used many times during the year for suoer spreading and also the helicoptor lands there and sprays weeds on our farms the hub have said there isnt any air strips within 5kms they are wrong
15. Very worried about the town water supply the solar farm is built on the McDonald River and eventually sometime it will contaminate the town water supply to the residents and who knows what that will do to the residents and their children short term and long term
16. The Bendemeer Energy Hub or Metis as they call themselves have continually lied to the community telling farmers and residents different things all the time

I support this project as I live locally and think it would be very helpful for the environment. I also like the fact there will animal able graze there once the project finishes. Also it will bring in work for the local people and companies

I object because of harm to our water supply and the environment impact on our community!! Not to mention the eyesore that it will create!!!

I support the establishment of the solar farm as I recognise the need for all of our society to establish an alternative energy generation supply. That we can combine farming with power generation seems like a great solution where more people, e.g. farmers can benefit and power generation can be more localised than these days. Development of community batteries will also be a great adjunct to be further developed.

I'm a community minded and environmentally conscious person. I support both solar and wind projects to increase the worlds contribution toward renewable energy so that we can do our bit to mitigate climate change. Our family live on a local farm at Watsons Creek, therefore we are not directly affected (adjacent) to the project site. However our opinion on this is strong - we have invested our own money into EV and solar infrastructure as well as moving to green super options to "be the change we want to see" for ourselves and our children's future. We have also travelled overseas to many countries and so perhaps have had more opportunity to see projects like this work quite well, particularly in conjunction with farming areas (they actually preserve a lot of green space for communities). Unfortunately a lot of the information being presented by the "no" side is unreferenced scientifically and emotive. I therefore felt it was important to present an opposite point of view for balance.

I support the construction and on going job opportunities for the local Bendemeer area. The contribution the project will make to the community over the life of the project in terms of community funding will benefit the community greatly.

Having immigrated to Tamworth from South Africa last year, I have experienced enough times of no power.
With Liddle coal mine closing this year and the large Musselbrook next year which is 25% of NSW power, I feel the renewables are the way of the future.
I have carefully been following the project in Bendemeer and feel that the company responsible has taken every correct channel with communicating with the community there, as well as reaching out to the Business Chamber in Tamworth too.
I believe that this project is also supporting the NSW Government plans of the new REZ infrastructure to come, and the renewable plan going forward for the country. Green energy is certainly the way of the future and I have seen its success happening in both South Africa and Europe.

I live adjacent to the proposed solar project. My boundary is less than 4 car lengths away from the nearest panel proposed. The Impact it will have on our family’s future & the future of our town, is extremely concerning, the environmental concern is and when the cadmium leaks through our granite soil into our river which is the towns water supply & the heart & beauty of our town. All water leaving that project falls directly into our McDonald river. The devastation that will leave us all in. And who will own up & claim responsibility?
The proximity of the panels being so close to the Oxley hwy, has to be a major concern also with the visual impact on the Highway. This is very concerning & should be investigated by road services.
The visual impact photos taken were not taken from all parties affected by the project .
The project team that has been in charge of this project have been like dealing with used car salesman and there incredible lack of transparency. Example: I asked why a Kentucky project was disapproved, they said it was because of the granite soil. Bendemeer is on granite soil.
There are so many more lies about the project they wouldn’t answer or changed course of the conversation.
This project has broken our community spirit.
The only people who will benefit from this project will be the landowners who have signed up & waiting for the money to hit there bank account. The rest of the community will see there property values drop in the result of this project going ahead, because it is simply to close the town. One mile from the town has to be illegal. Turning our beautiful postcard perfect town & community into a industrial site!

I strongly object to the project because
1. Our property is across the road from the solar farm and we will have noise pollution
2. The solar farm is 1.2 km away from the Bendemeer township and no other solar farms are this close to a town
3. There is a 10km buffer zone in several larger towns for wind & solar but no buffer zone for our small town
4. The solar farm is being built on good grazing land that will be ruined forever
5. The landscape will be cleared from trees and vegetation that the wildlife depend on
6. This will also kill alot of wildlife
7. The solar farm is being built right beside our town water supply and may seap into the town water if the panels are broken by a hail storm or damaged in any way
8. Our soil in bendemeer is granite which filters water and doesnt hold the water that the solar farm say they can hold in seepage dams it will seep right through into the McDonald River in the town water supply
9. The visual effects are huge with the solar farm being right on the Oxley Highway it will cause glare to drivers and residents that live near by
10. The roads are not built to withstand large machinery continually the Oxley Highway is only 2 narrow lanes that arent in good condition already , the lanes are less then the 3.6 required and are only 3m lanes
The project has caused a separation in the community between neighbours and sporting groups including the Rodeo & campdraft Club which has seen members leave that have been friends for 30 years that now hate each other
11. The community & adjoining Neighbours need to be able to have a say about what they have in their backyard so sad as we live in Bendemeer to escape the busy towns and enjoy our beautiful the scenery and landscape.
12. Will increase crime in our town with lots of extra people around
13. This is causing mental health issues with myself , my marriage & work performance it is very stressful we have farmed our farm for 5 generations and cant sell the property and if we did we would have decreased real estate values of up to 30% I know this as my wife is a real estate agent and sells alot of property in Bendemeer and it has started already with people not wanting to purchase here. The Bendemeer energy hub has siad it wont affect real estate prices but they are wrong they used Glenn Innes as a example but the wind towers are 37 kms away from Gelnn Innes and ours solar 1.2 km and towers 5km
14. We have a family registered airstrip around 2.2 km as the crow flies from the solar site on Vermount which is used many times during the year for suoer spreading and also the helicoptor lands there and sprays weeds on our farms the hub have said there isnt any air strips within 5kms they are wrong
15. Very worried about the town water supply the solar farm is built on the McDonald River and eventually sometime it will contaminate the town water supply to the residents and who knows what that will do to the residents and their children short term and long term
16. The Bendemeer Energy Hub or Metis as they call themselves have continually lied to the community telling farmers and residents different things all the time
17. If the solar goes ahead then we also have to battle the wind and at our farm we are surrounded by landowners whpo have signed up and the closest towers we have are 1.2km and 2 km away from our homes. As you can imagine we are terrified for our health as I suffer from depression already and the reports available are saying the sound from the turbines causes motion sickness disease and turbine sickness diseases , it is known to affect stock including miscarriages , and abnormalities in foals, calves & lambs. This is our live our family farm our everything and we may have to leave just to stay healthy and who will want to buy our farm no-one even at a 30% reduction in price this is so unfair we are devastated at what may happen to us.
We where not asked if we agree we where told what was happening

Dear Sir / Madam,
I am quite typical of the greater Australian - pretty quiet on most things, however, on this occasion i find i simply can't stay quiet in regards to the planned construction of a solar panel project in what i know is the incredibly beautiful Bendemeer surrounds.

I generally regard myself as reasonable and thoughtful. I have seen and heard all manner of reasoning from both sides of the argumentative political stance with respect to renewable energy.

As all adults have come to learn in life, you have to pick a side. I am totally against the placement of solar panels in the surrounds of Bendemeer. I understand the panel construction is in the vicinity of some half a million panels in total, 1 km from the closest edge of the township.

I have travelled much through NSW over the years and know just how spoilt the area surrounding Bendemeer would be if this massive environmental horror-project goes ahead. I am infuriated at the gaul of such a notion.

As a reasonable person i remain completely unconvinced of any advance or advantage to the NSW tax-paying public for these environmentally and economically harmful projects of this nature.

I reject the intention to embark on the project at Bendemeer on the following points:
* Destruction of what is easily recognised as a beautiful mountain area, full of birdlife and various other well-known wildlife that i should not specifically need to list to you as i am certain other reasonable persons in government would already know and understand at this very time
* Detraction of property values within the locale of Bendemeer as a direct cause of the construction of what is absolutely a gut-wrenchingly ugly grey sea of solar panels over lovely green landscapes.
* What also becomes of these hideous large-scale panel farms once their serviceable life is over and they would of course become a burden ( large-scaled ) to the environment because we all know that they will require to be buried eventually.
* Toxic run-off from depleted battery units will also have to be buried somewhere and, again, we all know where that figures.
* That there is no well understood plan to rid the used panels in years to come except to actually bury them and i can have no trust in the future handling of these large-scale constructions and that the penalty will be that the locals and the environment suffer the miscalculations and all the potential political lies that are wrapped up in these schemes.
* That China becomes one of the net benefactors from the manufacturing of these panels and that they are not aligned with our values and more to the point are fast becoming our foe
* That there is a reduction on the ability for these schemes to operate on days with poor sunlight. Very simply put - if its a grey day, then the panels just can't provide the power in any productive, satisfactory way
* That at night, there is absolutely no ability to generate power at all - stored or otherwise
* That this scheme cannot generate power 24/7 to the grid is worthy of rejection purely from a common-sense approach

I have seen these panel farms, they are hideous monstrosities that are undeserving of a place anywhere , let alone what is a lovely mountainous area the likes of Bendemeer.

There has to be far better, more productive alternative to this type of commercial idea (and others akin to it) across the beautiful Australian landscapes.

I repeat my personal rejection of this idea on the basis of all points outlined above. I reject the intention to construct this solar-panel farm on the basis in general terms that there is so little to gain but so much to lose.

I hope this opinion weighs heavy in the minds of related responsible persons and that it means something at the end of the day. I, like many, just cannot swallow the narrative of the supposed benefits. I am convinced this is simply the tip of the iceberg and that the broader intention of these schemes, as a whole, is not to benefit the energy sector at all but is rather more about the transfer / creation of wealth within select sectors and, of course, select people and not the greater public interests at all.

With regards,
Stuart C.

I have concerns for the town as a whole and the division it will cause on our beautiful community. I also worry about the health impacts on our families and friends and our future generations. What is the impact on our small river, the town water supply... pollution to the river destroys our water source completely.
I am concerned about the impact this project will have on property values, yes some may receive compensation but certainly not the entire community. The project will require clearing of vast areas which will affect native vegetation and disruption of wild life habitat, that may never be restored.

The solar project is not going to reduce the cost of power bills for the community and have to wonder why we need this on our doorstep destroying our beautiful rural views.

This project is far too close to my home. We’re in the 35 decibel noice range of constant humming from the transformers of this farm.

Our home is only 480 metres from the project.

This has caused great mental stress to our family and lots of sleepless nights.

This project is also on the banks of our town water supply which will get contaminated from damaged panels leaching cadmium and leads into the soil.

I own a residential property directly adjacent to the proposed Solar farm on the western boundary of the project. My dwelling is less than 500m from the pv array.

Below is a statement from the nsw government guidelines.

“The New South Wales government has updated guidelines to state planning rules to protect some of the state’s major regional centres from “encroaching solar and wind development,” after receiving almost unanimous support for the changes.
The planning amendment, first flagged by the government in October, seeks to restrict renewable energy projects from building within 10km of a commercial centre, or within 5km of residential land, in Albury, Armidale, Bathurst, Dubbo, Griffith, Orange, Tamworth and Wagga Wagga.”

This proposed Solar farm is less than 500m from my home and 50m from my nearest boundary. This is not even close to the 5km stated in the guidelines. Bendemeer is within the Tamworth LGA.
A company can't set up a business next door and cause a nuisance that interferes with the enjoyment of your land.
Enjoyment of your land is a common law right.
And the approval and construction of this proposed Solar farm is taking away the enjoyment of my land by having to look at the sea of panels everyday, the noise levels during construction, (ie. the driving of every metal post for the 400+ thousand panels, the machinery involved and then the constant humming of the transformers of a day when the project is complete.

My residential land has 3 seperate titles, and the approval of this project will be blocking me from subdividing my land in the future for the growth of the town.

There has been minimal communication with the project team and very low clarity answers on questions raised with the team.

There has also been No confidentiality between myself and the project team. I’ve said things to the project team which have then been repeated back to me by other land holders who have signed up to have wind towers on their properties.

This process has caused great mental stress and many sleepless nights in our family, wondering when and where we will have to move to get away from this eyesore.

I believe the proposed Solar farm is extremely too close to residential land causing huge disturbance to the local community during construction and operations.
Bendemeer is a thriving agricultural community and this Solar farm is destroying prime agricultural opportunities on this proposed land.

Bendemeer was an extremely tight nit community, there is quite a large division been driven in the community already because of the difference of opinions regarding the wind and solar. I being an active community member have a great deal to do with the majority of the Bendemeer residents, and the majority of the town is against these projects but are unwilling to voice their opinions due to the conflicts already starting in the community.
I also strongly believe that the visual impact studies taken do not at all reflect on the actual impacts. As they’re only taken from one location on the property. As you move about the property you will clearly see a lot more of the pv array. In which will render our properties unsaleable in the future. This will take away our greatest asset in life by devaluing our property.

Soil testing undertaken at the teys loomberah solar farm has revealed that Cadmium has been leaching from solar panels, contaminating the soil into neighbouring properties. The granite soil in Bendemeer will allow this to spread much more rapidly into waterways. And with the Solar farm been directly beside the McDonald river, which is the source for Bendemeer drinking water, will be detrimental to human health.
It has also been found that Properties in and around the Solar farm have been by devalued 35%.