Jupiter Wind Farm

The Tarago Parents and Citizens Association are strongly opposed to the current proposal put forward by the Jupiter Wind farm Company to construct a Wind farm within the Tarago District.

Jupiter Wind farm proposes to place 75 industrial wind turbines within the Tarago district and a further 13 Turbines approximately 20 kilometres away. As a Parents and Citizens Association we oppose this develop as we feel schools and wind farms do not mix and wind turbines should not be placed within 10 km's of schools. Some of these Turbines furthermore are with 4 kilometres of the school.

The Parents and Citizens Association has many concerns with the close proximity of the Turbines to the school.

As a Parents and Citizens Association, I would firstly like to state that EPYC (Jupiter Wind farm has not contacted the P and C and has not consulted the P and C in relation to the proposal. In the Director General Requirements it states "A comprehensive, detailed and genuine community consultation and engagement process must be undertaken. This process must ensure that the community is both informed of the proposal and is actively engaged in issues of concern to them, and is given ample opportunity to provide its views on the proposal. Sufficient information must be provided to the community so that it has a good understanding of what is being proposed and of the impacts. " The DGR's also state that EPYC needs to "consult with relevant local, State and Commonwealth Government authorities, service providers, community groups and affected landowners."
We feel that EPYC have failed to consult the P and C and thus has not meet the community consultation requirement's under the DGR as Jupiter Wind farm has not "demonstrated effective consultation with stakeholders, and that the level of
consultation with each stakeholder is commensurate with their degree of interest, concern or likely impact." Furthermore, the P and C have not been given any information on the impacts of the wind farm and what effects it may have on the school and children who attend school. Given the close proximity of the school to the wind farm, the
P and C should have been contacted and consulted.

I further might add that the Department of Education is not included on the list of groups that should be contacted. Perhaps this is because Wind farms were not meet to be built so close to schools. The P and C `s aware that that the company EPYC has talked to the school and the P and C understands that the principal is opposed to the Wind farm. The Principal is concerned about divisions the wind farm will have among students, for example those that host turbines to those that do not. Furthermore, the school population is made up of students from predominately lifestyle blocks (rural residential). If the turbines go ahead, then life styler's will not move to the area meaning a reduction in student numbers meaning possibly the school will close.


Another concern the P and C is what affect the turbines will have on the health and the long term consequences to the learning and educational development of our children.


A recent Senate Hearing into the health effects of wind farms on humans has showed a number of residents that have lived near wind farms have side effects to the noise that these Windfarm put out. Such health effects include dizziness, nausea and sleeplessness.
To expose the children at the school to such conditions makes me feel sick that the Department of planning would approve such a develop knowing the adverse health effects that could be caused to the children attending the school.
Furthermore, no windfarms should be built within 10km of a school as the adverse effects of windfarms still has not been established.

Another concern that the Parents and Citizens Association has is the increased number of trucks and other associated traffic which will travel on the roads and the possible interruption to school bus routes. Braidwood Road is the main road which school buses use to convey children from as far away as Braidwood to Tarago for school. Braidwood road would also be the main access road that the Trucks and construction companies would use to access Wind Turbine properties. As a result of the construction there would be the potential for road closures when the Turbines are being delivered. Also with the increase in trucks we also feel that our children are placed in further risk of accidents occurring and our children being potentially harmed. Many of the school bus collection points are along Braidwood Road with children waiting at the side of Braidwood Road waiting for their bus. Increased traffic predominately being trucks increases the risks of a child/children being harmed due to the increase in traffic.

Another concern is the decrease in families coming to the Tarago area to live due to the Turbines being in the area. With no new families coming to the area, this would mean an end to the school as there would be no children to attend the school which could mean the potential closure of the school due to lack of numbers. Schools are an important part of school communities and are often responsible for holding fund raisers which unite local communities. If the school would close such events would not happen thus communities such as Tarago would suffer and also the business that rely on the school in the area would also be disadvantaged.

Finally I strongly ask that you consider opposing the wind farm as the P and C feel that the construction of a project will have adverse affects to the students, families and the community as a whole.

On behalf of my family, I am strongly opposed to the current EPYC( Jupiter Windfarm) that is to be proposed for the Tarago area.
My family and I live in Roseview Road, Tarago. Our property is located directly opposite the proposed area and being with 2.0 km of our family home and property.
We have three children aged between 6 and 13 years and have lived at our house since April 2009, after having built our house. When we came here we considered this property our dream property and had envisioned raising our children in a country environment free from the pollution, traffic and industry that comes with living in the city.
Unfortunately this dream of ours will come to an end if the Wind farm proceeds.
As an Australian we are lead to believe that we live in the best country in the World which I still do believe. However contrary to this belief, foreign owned companies can come to our shores and place industrial turbines within rural residential areas, and then take our hard earned tax payer money through subsidies all in the name of green energy. We are not opposed to alternate energy sources as our family home has a solar power unit on our house and we feel that we are doing our bit to help the environment. We feel however the "Carbon footprint" and price for wind energy is too high and has no benefit to the environment or the residents that live near them.
As a family we are also opposed due to the close proximity to our house. Anecdotal research suggests that windfarms have adverse affects on the health of humans and in some cases animals. Even though the AMA would deny this, research is suggesting that windfarms do affect humans. Simply put who would want to live near a windfarm if it is going to hurt your husband and children. It is inconceivable to think that the department of planning would approve such windfarm's knowing the close proximity to houses and families and the affects it has on people's health. Furthermore, evidence presented at the Senate Inquiry into Windfarms strongly suggests that that Windfarms do have adverse affects on humans who live in close proximity to windfarms.

Another concern is the noise that the windfarms will emit. Due to the natural landscape of the area, noise tends to travel across the landscape in the area as the landscape forms a natural bowl shape. Often we can hear cow's mooing that are on the other side of the hills which are 2 km away. With the turbines I fear that due to the natural landscape of the area the noise will travel and be clearly heard during the day and night. Furthermore, due to the landscape of the environment the noise from the windturbines can not be blocked out through the planting of trees or other structures.
We are also opposed to the windfarm due to the visual effects. If the windfarm proceeds, then our visual amenity and vista would be destroyed.
Due to our house being situated on a hill, it currently overlooks the proposed area where the wind farms will be situated. Due to the positioning of our house there is also no way the visual impact can be reduced by planting trees or putting other barriers up.
According to the Director General's Environmental Assessment Requirements the EIS must address the Visual Impacts the turbines including photomontages of all affected residences and in particular non-host dwellings. At no time have Jupiter wind farm attended our home address and taken photographs in order to reflect the visual impact .
As a result of the visual impacts of the Windfarm and also close proximity to our home, I also feel that the current value of our property would also be greatly affected. Research suggests that property values will decline from 60% to 30 %. As a family we have invested greatly in our property financially and emotionally. If in the future we needed to sell then we would not obtain the value of our property or we may be faced with not selling our property at all if the wind farm proceeds as no person would willfully want to live near a turbine knowing the affects it will have on their health.
We are further opposed to the proposal due to the increased traffic that will travel along Braidwood Road. Braidwood Road is the main road that the bus which carries our children uses to convey them to school. With the increase in trucks we feel that our children would be placed further at risk as a result of more trucks and heavy vehicles using the road.

One of the primary reasons for me living in Mount Fairy is the rural vista. Based on the blocks viewing outlook, when the house was built, an outdoor deck which faces towards Mt Fairy Trigg was included. Currently it is pleasurable and relaxing to sit there on the weekend, have a coffee, and enjoy the country views of paddocks, farmland and low hills all along the horizon.
According to the Photo montage- View point 14 -, I would instead be seeing directly from the front of my house and my deck, virtually unobstructed views of the turbines of more than 10 of these wind towers intruding well above the skyline. I believe that it is grossly ignorant and arrogant on the part of the developers to assume that simply because we are not in the 3 or 5 km "zones"" that somehow we will simply be "right" with this visual pollution. The extraordinary height of the blades simply exacerbates the problem and no amount of "screening is ever going to restore our rural outlook from our upstairs deck or even block this visage.

I am certain, having talked with neighbours, that none of them moved to this rural location with the intention of living with industrial style constructions as a significant visual inclusion. This is not nimby - ism or any similar nomenclature used by people who dont have to live in sight of these things. This is about impositions on rural living that are unnecessary and inappropriate in this type of rural environment.

I personally have no problem in windfarms being built in unpopulated areas or where they cant be easily viewed however when you consider that a solar farm could be built in the same position as the jupiter windfarm with virtually none of the associated visual, environmental, noise and social impacts on the area you can perhaps understand the inappropriateness of some of this and likely various other windfarm applications.

It is perhaps noteworthy also that primary proponents of this development seem to be those that will make money out of it. A number of landowners will be paid (potentially quite well) for hosting towers on their land while others who live - as we do - in close proximity will receive none of these "compensations" while losing a primary enjoyment of our country lifestyle.
If developers are so intent - as they appear to be - on destroying rural vistas with inappropriate industrial eyesores then perhaps it would be equally appropriate that they be forced to buy out landowners whose lifestyle they adversely affect.

IT should also be noted that although developers will claim all sorts of alleged benefits from employing locals to benefiting the environment. It is clear from previous windfarm development that few locals gain long term employment from Windfarms, even in construction phase many workers are simply brought in from elsewhere. The amount of concrete used in footings, the potential for the blades to impact on wildlife, and the visual pollution are all anti environment issues. The production of electricity is reliant on the wind - but conversely cannot function at high windspeeds. All windfarms seem to require government "contributions" to "assist"the project so it is not so hard to question the holistic benefit of these developments.

Windfarms are not a necessity, they have a place at present in the overall move to renewables but as technology improves it can be expected that competition in the energy production sector will diversify further and other forms of renewables will compete with the mainstream of what is available now.
It is important then that more enduring themes such as community and social cohesion are given higher consideration than some developers need for profit. If renewable energy sources are to be part of the Australian community then community acceptance is a key point. As stated earlier, solar developments are far less intrusive and appear generally to be a better proposition in residentially dense rural areas.

There are numerous examples now of the deep divisions windfarms create in rural residential environments. This development in particular is exacerbated by its significantly intrusive height ensuring that it will be a prime offender with the associated increase of residents impacted by its vista.

Just as restrictions apply to blocking/obstructing interferring with neighbours views in seaside and hillside locations in towns and cities around Australia when developing a stucture, it seems only pertinent that similar standards should be strongly applied in rural Australia. If It is good enough for those who built houses on the coast to be able to fight development to retain their lifestyle views of the ocean then it is equally true that rural residents who treasure the rural vista retain our coveted Australian rural vistas.

Approval of this type of development in which developers acknowledge but are allowed to introduce a clearly identified detriment which intrudes on the established lifestyle of a location should rightly attract compensation claims.


Developments come and go but community spirit and cohesion particularly in rural locations has been and should remain an established and enduring Australian theme.This should be considered over and above short term gains by companies and industries that have no interest in rural communities other than when they appear to be a means to facilitate company profit.

We have said over and over and faught very hard to get you to listen to the true hurt and stress you are doing, even allowing this company that turbines can go in a small country town. There is plenty of land out there that isn't apart of a community. Why not tell them to go there?? Why Tarago. Roseview essate is one of the main visually effected roads. People that have moved heaven and earth to have the view and serenity as their back yards. To ruin by allowing this company the light of day thinking they stand a chance is a kick in the guts.

I OPPOSE the Jupiter Wind Farm being built near our tranquil rural-residential area, because we bought our 100 acre property with the view of building our passive solar (off the grid) home, retiring and ENJOYING OUR SURROUNDINGS AND VISTAS, NOT to see industrial towers along our access roads.
173 Metres !!!

I wish to submit my opposition to the wind farm in Tarago and surrounding area.

While I personally do not mind the view of wind turbines in the distance, I understand that many of the residents closer to the proposed wind farm do object to them destroying their view. As I live around the 5km radius, it would not bother me if I could see them, but the views of people living closer are more important to me.

I am not 'sold' on whether wind turbines are detrimental to a persons health, as I believe there is not sufficient evidence gathered yet. But, imagine if the detrimental effects can scientifically be attributed to wind turbines and people developed very real illnesses as a result of them. I don't want this happening in our small community.

What outrages me the most about this potential wind farm is the divisiveness that it has already caused within our close-knit, happy community. The first public meeting I had, saw me witness to people treating and speaking to each other in not very nice ways. It is this that makes me not want wind farms in our area the most.

I object to the Jupiter wind farm at Tarago,the turbines are too close to Tarago and to the homes in that area, Tarago already has capital and Woodlawn wind farms plus the bioreactor for Sydney garbage

Too close to people's homes and the town of Tarago.

I don't agree with how close to communities these turbines will be I also don't agree with them being close to homes and animals. I believe there is enough spare acreage elsewhere there is no need to impact these families lives with them.

Too close to homes and communities

The proposed wind towers will be located too close to existing housing. Theconstruction and ongoing usage of the towers will have significant negative impacts on the nearby residents in both the short and long term.

I am horrified at the proposal for the Jupiter Wind farms project in our community. We purchased our property primarily for the views. The representatives of Jupiter have sat with us and totally lied about the render of what our view would be like. We will se approximately 14 turbines ranging from 1k to 3k away and their render of our view makes them the same height as the trees we have. This is absolutely disgusting. Where is the accountability for these companies to produce correct and realistic representations of what the views and appearance will be. I stand against this project 100%. This project will ruin our views and the noise will be be a huge negative to us.

My family has just moved to our new house 7 months ago. The agents did not tell my parents about a potential wind farm going in. We will have 15 of them surrounding our direct view. I have 3 younger siblings as well. The wind farm is not a good idea so close to houses. They should be put much further away from people's homes! Please don't let them put the turbines in!!!

My daughter and her family bought their property 7 months ago to escape the robotic nature of the city. They have only recently been told about this wind farm project and discovered they will be bang in the middle of the development with almost 20 turbines in their direct line of view. They are a family of 6 with 4 young children. I have visited the farm recently and there are numerous residences all along that strip of road (braidwood/Goulburn road). The current views are spectactular and would hate to see if ruined by large noisy wind turbines.

I do not understand how it can even be considered to put such a large obstructive development so close to residential housing. I urge you to reject this proposed plan as it will not only affect my daughters family, but ALL of the familes on that community.

I OPPOSE the Jupiter Wind Farm being built near our slice of paradise and its fauna. We have discovered a Wedgetail eagle eyrie (large nest), on our property. The wedgetail eagles breed every second year at this eyrie and we have had three beautiful eagles soaring majestically over the area at various times. Their range is not just our property - it is kilometres around their eyrie. What happens when they swoop near a wind turbine? And what about the lose of their habitate?
Other birds of prey - Falcons, Harriers, Hawks, Kites, as well as Owls have been observed or heard in our area. What of them with wind turbines in the area?
In the dusk of the evening micro Bats can be seen swooping to catch bugs in the air. Do they understand what a moving blade is?
Glossy Black Cockatoos are also in our area; feeding on the She-oaks (Casuarina) on the properties on and around Barnet Estate and some lucky residents have them drinking at their dams. Will they know not to go near the turbines?
I OPPOSE the Jupiter Wind Farm being built near our slice of paradise and its fauna.

We purchased our property twenty years ago with the aim of raising our children in a tranquil rural setting with beautiful views of the distant hills as a deciding factor in positioning our home. Since then we have seen the construction of Capital wind farm 18 km away and Woodlawn wind farm 14 kms away of which we see seven turbines. The Jupiter proposal will be 2.8 km away with 14 turbines directly in our view.

I home school six of our children therefore spending the majority of my time at home. My husband and I also have six of our adult children still living with us. We moved from a busy position on the highway in the Blue Mountains to what we planned to be our last move and permanent home.
Most of the rural lifestyle blocks are between 25 and a few hundred acres in this area and we have come to know many of our neighbours who have moved here for similar reasons.

The proposed Jupiter wind farm will be 2.8 km to the west of our home directly in our view. The intrusion of the fourteen turbines we will see is a blight on the landscape and one that will be impossible to block out. Even if we plant trees to block out what we can, we will be changing the reason we built here in the first place, that is the view of the hills in the distance.

Being directly down wind of the proposed wind farm will also create a noise problem that we can do without.

I believe a wind farm proposal should never have been considered in such a high rural residential area with over 500 residential lifestyle building blocks within 5 kms of the project area.

Elizabeth Tomlinson

Firstly let me say I am not opposed to the idea of wind farms, I am opposed to wind farms being located in the wrong place as with the Jupiter wind farm project.

There may be some merit in wind farms but I must say that I haven't found that to be true to date as to achieve any reduction in CO2 emissions a coal powered power plant would need to be shut down. As we all know wind farms require 100% back up from another source be it coal or gas so when the wind stops the power doesn't.

I would like to make two observations of some of the information supplied in the EIS.
Firstly, the photo-montages depicting the visual impact on some of the closest residents is grossly misleading. For example, I live close to the Capital wind farm and I stood on the side of the road 1.6 kms from turbines. I can tell you now that the photo-montages at 1.6 kms look insignificant compared to the real thing. I don't know if this has been done deliberately to deceive the department and the public or are the consultants just incompetent.

Secondly, I see photo-montages showing mitigating proposals of tree planting to partially obscure the turbines. Unless EPYC is going to supply fully grown trees it will take ten to twenty years to grow seedlings to the height that would be required to do the job, if they survive!

So yes I strongly object to the proposed Jupiter wind farm.

Nicholas Tomlinson

I object to the proposed Industrial Jupiter wind farm being built in the Tarago area.
Tarago and surrounding districts has become over the past ten years a highly sought-after location for those who wish to leave suburban areas and seek a rural lifestyle. A primary influence in that decision is the rural outlook and views, and dwellings have been built on properties to take advantage of this. The proposed turbines have in many cases been sited in the direct view of a vast number of residents with most effected people having multiple turbines as close as 1 to 2 kms away. I will see approximately 14 turbines at 2.8 km which may sound like quite a distance but when you consider that the proposed turbines are to be 173 meters tall or a 55 story building, this makes the project unacceptably close.

My submission relates to the sheer number of residents in the proposed Jupiter Wind farm project area.
EPYC indicates that there are 63 homes within 2 km of a turbine and a further 215 between 2 kms and 5kms giving a total of 278 homes within 5 kms. On average I estimate that there is conservatively 3 persons per household, using this as a guide we have 189 people within 2 km and 645 from 2kms to 5 kms, a total of 834 affected people within 5 km of this proposed industrial project area. I find this unacceptable and strongly object to this proposal in particulur the obtrusive visual impacts this will have on most residents. I am not anti renewable energy, I live off the grid on solar power and have for 15 years. I believe this project has been sited in the wrong area as this in nature is a high rural residential area.

Christopher Tomlinson

Objections: ugly visual amenity in a populous rural residential area; environmental impacts including construction sites, concrete plant, sub.station, impact on abundant wildlife in this area, electromagnetic radiation, impact on Reedy Creek waterway, road risks and hazards for school buses on kings highway and Tarago roads, increased traffic on one of the highest density traffic highways in NSW, construction noise, industrial wind turbine noise, devaluing property, risk of fire hazard in native bushland, concern about the greed in construction of the number, height and size of the industrial wind turbines, already too many constructed and proposed industrial wind turbines in this area of nsw