Culcairn Solar Farm

Attached is our objection and reasons against this proposed solar farm at Culcairn.

As per attached - I highly object to this project.

Here we are again debating the proposed instillation of a major industrial plant in an area of closer settlement and an area of high agricultural value and production, not once in three major proposals have I read that any proponent is taking into account the human element, not once can I find any reference to the mental well being of those that will be surrounded by this massive industrial plant, not once can I find any reference to the future livelihood of the neighbours affected by this , and believe me there will be a very real impact. To offer affected neighbours $15,000.00 as a sweetner is total insult and just shows how little these proponents think of us out here.
Once again we are expected as small business's or interested parties to read and divulge 1800+ pages of garbage and jargon in a 28 day period whilst maintaining our livelihoods and families, unlike your department or the proponents we are not paid to review this project proposal, on top of this we have to sit by for a further three months whilst the proponent is given extra time to review our comments and questions, this entire process is awfully skewed against the very people who have to end up living with one of these.
As parts of the eastern sea board freshen up from the latest drought with some glorious rain the drought for those people is still not over until they at least get an entire growing season under their belt, so our area here which has been providing fodder to the rest of the state for a number of years is still providing that very fodder relief and will be until this coming spring and possibly beyond as some areas have not been so lucky. Why do we provide that fodder, because we have prime agricultural land that produces amazing quantities of fodder per hectare, you cant eat solar energy.
Once again we see a solar proponent using NGH Environmental for their EIS production, a company that sells its soul for a dollar, as once again there dialogue is full of misleading information. Class 1 country once again being labelled class 4 to suit the planning classification is just disgraceful.
Bushfire risk is real and should be at the front of any review given the last three months experienced on the eastern sea board, locally we have a good RFS Fire Captain and only one, going around handing out fliers and telling anyone he can that there is no fire risk, sadly for me he is a very good fire fighter however being one of the proponent farms has a vested interest in debunking the fire hazard issue, I might add that this proponent does not reside on the property or anywhere near it, they are town dwellers, so will not be physically or mentally affected by this development going ahead. I might add that the Coleambally Solar Development has had a number of fires since its inception.
Battery storage is a real issue, there have been very little success with batteries throughout the world, they are low output, short term with some major issues with damaging materials leaching out of them insitu
There is a major gas pipeline going through the proposed development, what protection short and long term is there for this
Leachates entering the Billabong Creek, there is no mention or provision for this real threat, there are some pretty ugly elements used in the construction of these solar plants and there is no provision for the entry of these elements into the catchment.
I find the contradictory dialogue rather humerous at times, in relation to flooding we have on one page that the Billabong Creek only undergoes minor flooding (obvioulsy to offset the flooding and run off argument however later in the document it mentions about major floods on the Billabong Creek, which do occur and are very real.
Glare - I visited the Finley Solar Plant on Tuesday and the glare for the people living north east of the development is very real, not one DPIE compliance employ to be found, also had a friend send me a picture of the Bomen Solar Plant also showing glare to the front of his house, no longer a nice view and glare to be seen readily.
This is real, no more semantics from developers or departments, place these things were there is little to no human impact, no business impact. Just because we have a transmission line going past, how long before this line suffers transmission issues like those out west and they have to wind back their input, it wont worry the developers as they are living off handsome government subsidies, show the real cost of these proposals, fiscally and the human cost.
Anyway would like to say more however I now have to take another load of hay to a drought stricken farmer in another area
Once again when reviewing this put yourself in our shoes and tell yourself that you are happy to live with this next to you, I bet you would fight it to the very end as well.
Thanks

-This solar plant is a waste of prime agricultural land and is way to big for this area
- It will devalue the area and the neighbouring properties
-It will spoil the rural landscape character of the land
-It will have many impacts on the land itself and the surrounding properties
-Increase traffic will result in increased wear and tear and risks to motorists

The amount of land to be used for the Culcairn Solar site is minimal in the scheme of agricultural land in the area.
Renewable sustainable electricity production is the way we must go. Coal fired power stations are a thing of the past. We must move forward and harness the energy available to us from the sun.
As an industry, agriculture is threatened by climate change, and we should be seen to be leading in our efforts to reduce carbon dioxide release to the atmosphere. This plant is one practical way of doing that.
The one downside of the project is the need to remove so many trees, which are a vital part of carbon capture.I s there any way of reducing this? Perhaps a closer study of the shadows that fall at times of the day?

This loss of productive crop land in a reliable farming area such as Culcairn will result in a loss of work for people like myself in the freight industry.
I have obtained work this year carting large amounts of hay through the operation of the land proposed to be developed
We should be supporting our local farmers to produce products such as hay and grain as this supports our wider economy.
The construction may produce short term jobs but we need to consider the long term employment provided by agriculture especially with the annual freight of commodities. Our local communities have many agricultural businesses that will endure the loss of income.
Farms in this area have been agriculturally strong for many generations and I believe that this exceptionally large solar plant should be located elsewhere on less arable land where there is less impacts.

Climate change must be addressed and we need to be using renewable energy for the survival of the planet.

I object to this project for the following reasons.
1. Lack of community consultation and engagement.
2. Excessive demand on existing infrastructure and no adequate upgrade to local roads, facilities, water supply or emergency and health services has been proposed.
3. No long term advantages to local community - in regards to ongoing substantial employment.
4. No communication as to the length of the project.
5. No detailed information on the rejuvenation of the site post project.
6. Waste - no information supplied on the disposal of exhausted solar panels, batteries and infrastructure.
7. No information on how the money proposed to be given to the local township of Culcairn is to be spent. - My concern is that it is so small an amount it will be used only to maintain roads leading to the facility and so there will be no gain for the community as a whole.
8. Having Melbourne's trams offset by the company Neoen is of no consequence or value to the citizens of Culcairn.
9. Cheaper energy prices - to whom does this apply? I would think for the disruption to our peaceful community for the benefit of a few at the very least ALL citizens of Culcairn should receive free energy for the life of this project.
10. Lack of information on how this project will stimulate lasting economic growth in this region.
11. Combining sheep grazing and solar panels- may in theory be possible, but what are the other agricultural innovative options that the proposal refers to? Once again no details. Is that because there are no other viable options?
I do not support this project because I feel this is not the best use of this land. I feel a project to support agriculture and stimulate diversity in primary production and in so doing, securing food supply to this nation, would be a better outcome for this region.
Solar farms could be located in areas of less rainfall that are more prone to drought and therefore are less agriculturally productive.
Instead of using vast areas of valuable farming land for solar power generation - why not utilise the land surrounding freeways, railway lines and rooftops of government and commercial buildings.

I have seen five generations of farming on the land in the area of the Culcairn solar farm and my family continue to farm and will neighbour the project. I now have my son, grandson, and 4 great grandsons working on the property.
This area was chosen by the Feuerherdt family in 1909 as it was known to be very good farming land. We have farmed very successfully since that time and through this success I have watched the farm expand and grow, changing as time has progressed. The land along the Billabong Creek has been fertile cropping and grazing country yielding well and this is so on the property that will house the solar farm.
The towns of Walla Walla and Culcairn have been built on farming with many of the businesses that support the town relying on farming for income. The solar farm will only provide jobs for a small number of people after construction which will not be farming related. The farming businesses will suffer. We have contributed to the lives of so many local people through work on and from our farm property.
We have seen massive floods along the Billabong Creek which I don’t think are being addressed properly. Each flood has been very different causing damage. The road has changed the flow and now pushes it back on the southern side of the creek a lot more.
Years ago there had been issues with rabbit, hares and foxes along the creek and I believe that issues such as vermin will become out of control. Grandad uses to talk of hare and rabbit drives to overcome vermin issues, how will these issues be addressed with solar panels covering the land.
Grandad always complained about the birds in the orchard, rosellas and cockatoos which we have heard can be a problem eating the wires and on solar panels.
I don’t believe that it would be possible to control a fire in time as is so near the creek and such a massive area to control near the tree lined creeks close to towns.
They are saying that sheep will be able to graze underneath the panels but I would question what would grow there as much of the land will be shaded.
In all the years that I have lived here I enjoyed driving past and seeing the farming land which will be lost. It will be an eyesore and spoils the country outlook.
This situation has caused so much conflict in our towns and with our family and people with whom we have had longstanding relationships. I have lost communication with some very caring friends that were neighbours throughout my life.
I am worried about the impact on my family and their farm, their health, happiness and wellbeing.

I strongly support this project. I am a son of one of the landowners, I have lived my whole life on and am currently living and working on part of the proposed solar farm land. As the next generation I am excited to see the land become more productive and branch out into new ways of farming. The Culcairn Solar Farm is a fantastic opportunity to be part of a new way of farming in the local area, a way that is going to benefit so much more than just the farm itself but the whole community is amazing. The thought of farming being more than just crops and livestock in this area is a new thought to many. I am really excited about the project as it brings a new way of farming that is far more productive and has a large positive impact both environmentally and economically. It is thinking a lot bigger, and this development could be the biggest opportunity the area has ever seen to have a greater impact across Australia. Bringing renewable energy into the scene as a new and different way of farming has been taken well by everyone I have spoken to personally. The small but loud minority of people not taking this new and exciting opportunity in a good light have gone out of their way to produce fear and lies about this project, which has been quite a disruption in the community. Verbally attacking, shaming, spreading lies and getting quite personal are just a few techniques which have been used frequently by them to undermine this development. I am the next generation and I am standing my ground not only for renewable energy sources but a different way of farming. This is about a more productive, hopeful and cleaner future and this project is what can take us there. I am very happy with all the hard work Neoen have put in to make this a well informed, smart and productive project that could be an amazing positive opportunity to everyone not only in this area, but nationally.

I strongly believe this solar farm will benefit the area. Coal is a finite resource, and we cannot keep relying on it.

The Culcairn Solar farm will ruin good farm land and there are too many family homes and farms around the development that will suffer from the impacts. The many neighbours will be greatly affected by the change of the landscape from a peaceful rural outlook to a metal industrial electricity plant. The mental health of the community will suffer greatly through such change and the nature of construction being noisy and destructive.
I have horses and understand that feed has become expensive and last year hay became difficult to source. Reliable agricultural land that has the potential to produce large amounts of hay and grain should not be the location for solar farms. These developments should be located in other areas that may be agriculturally challenged.

Please see attached.

I have not made any reportable political donations in the previous two years
I object to the proposed Culcairn Solar Farm. I have lived in Culcairn almost my entire life. My family has lived in Culcairn for generations. I know the value of the land in this area and how productive it is. Land in Culcairn is highly sought after because of how productive it is. This development should not be constructed on productive agricultural land. Allowing a solar farm here will adversely affect the farmland around it due to the increase of weeds (eg deadly nightshade) that will not be sprayed. There is plenty of other land within Australia that is not as consistently reliable and is not surrounded by neighbours that will be adversely affected.
During construction, it is planned that 500 vehicles a day will access and leave the site. This poses an increased danger to other road users including children that are riding their bikes or walking to school as these vehicles will have to pass through our local towns.
The risk of fire cannot be understated. This development is gigantic. Local Rural Fire Service members will not enter the solar farm site to fight fire due to risk of danger to their own lives. This will result in the fire being far larger when it leaves the site and can be safely fought by volunteer fire fighters. NSW has been seriously affected by fires this year and multiple towns have been devastated. This developed is only a short distance from both Culcairn and Walla Walla. The risk of fire impacting these towns is huge. I am a local land owner within 5 kilometres of this proposed solar farm.
The environment is a major concern. It is unknown what effect this project will have on the environment. The Billabong Creek is an important area. Numerous wildlife species inhabit this area. The removal of paddock trees removes habitats for birds, frogs and other animals. The 8 foot high fencing around the site will significantly impact the movement of wildlife. This will force more animals, predominately kangaroos onto the road endangering motorists.
My main objection is turning very important, very reliable agricultural land into a barren industrial site.

Attached.

I would like to formally support this project, as from my personal perspective this is an exceptional project that fully and entirely achieves a triple bottom line. I believe that this project aligns with the New South Governments goal to ‘rebuild the economy' as they support residents of New South Wales to be forward thinking in their utilisation of their assets to reach greater economic productivity.

It's got to be in someone's backyard. This is a positive step for the community.

Please find submission attached

Solar power does not provide food and should be utilized in areas like roof tops or shed roofs not prime agricultural land in my opinion.

As a local fire brigade in close proximity to the proposed solar farm we have grave concerns as to the fire risk that is presented by this proposal.
We as a fire brigade are concerned at the limited access that we will be able to get to fight the fire and the increased intensity of such a fire due to a greater fuel load of grass and materials left to grow under the panels due to the difficulty of get access to spray weeds and grasses.
We also have concerns about the toxic fumes that would be generated by the panels if they were to catch fire and the health risks to our brigade members in breathing in such toxic fumes.
It is our view that we would not be able to attempt to fight the fire within the perimeter of the solar farm and therefore have to wait until it came outside the boundary, which will then be of much greater size and intensity and therefore more difficult to control and cause a greater risk to surrounding property owners of greater loss of stock and property from a fire that came into their property from within the proposed solar farm.