Hills of Gold Wind Farm

I am a frequent visitor to Timor , a district which will be affected by the HILLS OF GOLD project and knowing this I have tried to ascertain as much information as I could
access in relation to the proposed development. Everything I have read thus far has left me thoroughly dismayed.

The valley that the Isis river flows through is a place of natural beauty that a ridge of wind turbines cannot enhance. The people of that valley have shown a resilience and determination in the last three years of drought , fire and appalling conditions for the farmers , business people and residents . That the land is still viable enough to continue with this unwanted project is a tribute to their unending hard work and care of the land itself.

There has obviously not been enough consultation with the people who are to be most affected. Trying to have a face to face discussion , or getting project staff out to the farms has been a slow and frustrating process. There has been a large amount of land clearance , approx two thousand acres I believe , which can only have far reaching consequences on wildlife management in the future. That is a concern for everyone in NSW , not just those living locally , especially after the statewide devastation to flora and fauna post the catastrophic bushfires. Little forethought seems to have gone into the planning in the haste to commence construction.

It does not come as a surprise that this location , seemingly completely inappropriate for maximum turbine usage , has been chosen. I note that the Hunter Valley ,

My objection is attached as a PDF file. Please see attachment.

My family own and operate Wombramurra Station a large Rural holding in the Head of Peel Valley which will be surrounded by the proposed Hills of Gold Wind Farm Project. I am currently at University however spend my holidays helping and working on the property and hope one day to return to live there. I am opposed to the Wind Farm development in this area as our property is a place of great beauty and tranquillity and an industrial development such as the Hills of Gold Wind Farm will totally transform the landscape to an industrial site.
The proposed turbines will be built on the ridgeline on at least three sides of our property and one of the access roads will run through the centre. This will dramatically change the way my family run the property due to safety aspects associated with increased numbers of heavy machinery and vehicles traversing our road and affecting the way we move livestock and farm machinery around our property in our day to day running of the farm. The EIS does not indicate how the proponent will deal with these issues and the proponent of the project has not interacted with my family to achieve a suitable outcome.
As a young rural woman, I am concerned for the future of our land and the enormous amount of destruction to the environment needed to build this project and the added disadvantage it will only have a short lifetime in the scale of things, then more destruction and pollutants added to a very sensitive environment in the decommission phase. As a neighbouring property we have no input into the decommission however stand to be greatly affected if this is done incorrectly or in the case the developer becomes insolvent then not at all. My question is what is to happen if this occurs and is it not better to build this type of development in areas that are more suitable.

I believe this project will have a devastating impact on Nundle, particularly during the construction phase. I own and operate a company called Nundle Woollen Mill. I employ 10 people in a part time / full time basis. If the fires at Hanging Rock (Oct-2019 to Jan-2020) is an indication, tourists stopped coming to Nundle because accommodation was fully booked by firies. We also heard that rumours circulated that Nundle was closed due to the fires. We anticipate a similar situation with the wind farm construction. Accommodation at the Peel Inn, Nundle Motel & Fossickers Tourist Park (caravan park) will be taken by wind farm workers and access to Nundle will be restricted due to heavy vehicle movements. Our business relies on visitors, I believe the construction period of two years could ruin our business, resulting in 10 people losing their jobs. We don't have the financial backing to support the business for two years without normal trade.

Nundle Woollen Mill is also a major draw card for visitors to the village, if the mill was to close, it would have an impact on other businesses in town. Please, do not approve this project.

To
Director - Energy Assessmets
Planning and Assessment
Department of Planning, Industry and Environment
Locked Bag 5022
Parramatta, NSW 2124

27th January 2021

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN

I am objecting to the HILLS OF GOLD WIND FARM APPLICATION NO SSD 9679

I have not made any reportable political donations in the previous 2 years

My name is Matthew Langfield and I own a property at 1016 Nundle Creek Rd Nundle NSW 2340

My objections include

Site Selection - Soils in the area of proposed we are category 8, any disturbance of soils, especially over slopes of 15/20 degrees can cause major land slips/erosion, causing damage to water ways / creeks we rely on. Most property owners know the damage these land slips can cause. This project is not in renewable energy zone, 3000mw/ hours from the REZ will cover Liddel power station shut down.

Shadow Flickering - Our property may see 19mins a day. We asked about this multiple times over a 2 year period and were told this would not be an issue. October 2020 we were told by WEP we will have shadow flicker. this is not expectable.

Visual - We were told we would only see tips of blades, in October 2020 we were shown visual assessment where we will see up to 80% of each turbine (10 ) in our vicinity.

I object to this Proposal, because of the Visual impact of the Farm and that the proposed location is totally inappropriate.

The proposed location for this WindFarm is on the ridgeline of the Great Dividing Range between Crawney and the Ben Halls Gap conservation areas. From the Isis River Valley, at 500 Metres elevation, the land rises to 1400M over about 3km.The gradient is extremely steep. Whilst the Project is referred to as the "Hills" of Gold Wind Farm, the location, from the Hunter perspective, is actually a Mountain Range, containing the Crawney (1446M) and Wombramurra (1418M) Mountains.

WindFarm 34, one of the 70 proposed Turbines, is situated at 1405 M elevation. Adding the Tower (150M) and the Blades (80M), the top of this Turbine will be 1635M. This will be the highest structure (man made or natural) in the entire Hunter Valley (Brumlo Tops , natural is 1586M). Of interest the tallest man made structure in the world is only 828M.

This will, if it is allowed to proceed, be the highest and most visible (certainly from the Hunter Valley at least) Wind Farm in Australia. This Project would make a complete mockery of both Local Council and NSW State Planning guidelines to reduce the Visual impact of WindFarms.

Lastly, they say a picture tells a thousand words, I attach a photo taken looking up the Perry’s Creek Valley, in the area below the escarpment proposed for the WindFarm, during the Pages Creek Fire , in January 2020/Dec 2019. Those are heavily wooded slopes and there are residences in that area. Why would a Wind Farm be built on top of those slopes.

This is not an appropriate location for a Wind Farm and the Project should be rejected.

OBJECTION!!
I must protest strongly the construction of the Wind Farm (ID noSSD9679)
We have been visiting the Nundle area since 2003. At first it was just a place to escape to away from pressures of everyday life.
However in 2009 our need for the quiet and healing of the area became paramount.
We visit Nundle regularly as it helps to rejuvinate after bouts of medical intervention.
I have been close to a Wind Farm construction site in UK and the number of trucks and vehicles is not conducive to the
idyllic nature of the Nundle area.
Even after completion it will impact visually and physically on the area.
It is still not known how much of an impact the towers have on wildlife or even humans. The noise itself is quite disturbing.
I fear the historic region of the "Hills of Gold" will be changed and irrepairable.
I strongly object!!

I have lived at Hanging Rock for five years, I now consider this to be my safe place. In a previous relationship I suffered from domestic violence for a number of years until I decided I had to leave. I found the small hamlet of Hanging Rock and instantly fell in love with the peace and quiet. Since purchasing my home, I have made many friends and I know that it is the place for me. In that time, I have created a sanctuary which is now my happy and safe place for my children and grand children to enjoy (see attached photo of my grandkids with a duck). I see the the arrival of a wind farm to have a devastating impact on my home. I totally object this proposal.

The traffic coming up Barry Road is a major concern to me. It will turn our peaceful home life into a highway hell. This is not why I purchased my home in Hanging Rock, I purchased my home to get away from this type of development, I don't want this development to proceed. Recently a truck rolled over on Barry Road (see attached document), very close to my home, what if a car was coming the other way, the roads here are not suitable to heavy vehicle movements.

I am an employee at Nundle Woollen Mill, I have worked there for almost 5 years. I am concerned that during the construction phase, visitors number through the mill will drop off causing a drop off in sales. Without doubt this will affect the jobs available at the mill. I could lose my job and then lose my house. There is no compensation for people like me, there are very few winners out of this project, the host land holders and their neighbours will get a large windfall but I could potentially lose my home, how is this fair.

Please do not approve this project. Please leave our little village as is.

I have lived in the distant vicinity of other wind farms in the Southern Tablelands. Once the wind farms starting going up, Gunning Wind Farm and other, during the evening, into the night I occassionally had to put up with a disturbing low frequency droning noise. It was sometimes impossible to sleep.

This wind development is going to employ huge wind turbines that will produce a lot more low frequency noise. The current noise guidelines of the NSW government do not protect against this. There are also a large number of rural of residents around the Nundle area who might suffer the same consequences that I did in the past.

I don’t agree that the wind farm is good for our town or the animals and plants around it.

I would like to strongly object to the proposed hills of gold wind farm. This is a beautiful, scenic location that is home to many people including farmers using this land for many years. It is a fantastic place to visit and enjoy the many things to see and do in the area. I believe a wind farm will be environmentally dangerous for the health of the residents, the many birds and other wildlife that reside here and the potential threat to the water supply.

I would like to register my OBJECTION to the Hills of Gold Wind farm to be located near the township of Nundle and Hanging Rock.

I have major concerns that the proposed construction of this project will have significant negative impacts on the headwaters of the Peel River through the removal of vegetation, roads construction and subsequent land degradation form the installation of the wind turbines and associated infrastructure. Any negative impacts to Tamworth's primary water sources should in my view be cause for immediate rejection of this project.

I note that the majority of the proposed project sits adjacent to land of significant importance in regards to critically habitat identified under the NSW Biodiversity Conservation ACT. I’m extremely doubtful that a project of this size would not negatively impact Ben Halls Gap nature reserve, thus another reason for rejection.

I also have concerns of the impacts to Nundle‘s businesses and ongoing viability of some during the construction phase of this project in particular the transportation of turbines and associated equipment through the township. The establishment of “no parking zones” for equipment movement will undoubtedly deter visitors/tourists and locals from Oakenville and Jenkins St, the CBD on Nundle.

Moreover, I have no confidence that the construction phase will equally offset for all businesses, the long term established tourism market that benefits Nundle. Nundle businesses through years of hard work has cemented itself as a significant tourist destination in our region, this has been for the benefit of all businesses and this is at risk.

Suggestions that wind turbines will create increased tourists potential for Nundle, in my opinion is ridiculous.
People visit Nundle because of its unique gold mining history, visual beauty, the Peel river and climate.

There can be no doubt that the instillation of these wind turbines will negatively impact the aesthetics of this uniquely beautiful piece of regional NSW.

It is my view that this project will undoubtedly negatively impact on Nundle as a tourist destination.

The proposed project is wrong for Nundle and Hanging Rock, the majority of the community through verified petitioning feels the same. I note the division that this has caused within the communities and ask that this project be REJECTED so confidence and normality can be returned to these residents and businesses.