Winterbourne Wind Farm

I have concerns about the following:
- the impact of the increase of traffic on the roads during construction, and the consequences of this impact haven’t been sufficiently researched or measured. The impact of increased traffic and road closures will be dangerous to residents health, with emergency services, regular medical appointments in Armidale and Tamworth interrupted. It will also effect the livelihoods of all local graziers, with disruptions to freight of livestock to sale yards & freight of rural supplies.
- the project will negatively impact native flora and fauna, with many species identified as sharing the environment with the turbines… more study is needed so as to reduce this impact on these already rare species. Also, how does the project value heritage listed national parks & all that inhabits it? does the amount of wind & power generated, and profits made justify their destruction.
- I’m also concerned about the project not being able to provide any detail or suitable plan for the destruction and disposal at the end of the turbines life.

I personally support the Winterbourne wind project. I think walcha and surrounding area needs projects like this. It will bring people and jobs for years to come, The world needs more green energy and less fossil fuel emissions. Walcha has the wind,

I fully support the Winterbourne Wind Farm Project.
The transition to renewable energy in New South Wales and in Australia is vital in our fight to reverse climate change. For future generations we must move away from fossil fuels and projects such as the Winterbourne Project are essential in this transition. The Winterbourne project is the first major wind project in the NSW Government’s New England Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) with future inclusions of wind, solar and pumped hydro. Large well-developed projects like Winterbourne and future renewable projects in the Walcha area provide a crucial foundation for the REZ. For our future and the future of the environment we must move in this direction and cannot afford to delay. With our old coal fired power stations closing earlier than originally thought it is imperative to act immediately.
Since 2004 I have been coming to Walcha to meet with locals interested in developing a wind farm on their properties. Over this time, I have developed long standing, strong relationships with many in the local community. The community of Walcha has been at the core of everything we do. With the project giving a $1 million upfront contribution and then $750,000 per annum to the Community Benefit Fund for local communities, the benefits of this project are many. There will be many jobs during construction and 16 permanent operations jobs ongoing in the local community. It will bring financial benefits and much needed increased income into all local businesses in Walcha. This helps build a stronger community and this has always been a cornerstone of this project and everything we have done over 19 years.
We know very recently there has been some public discourse in the local community, sadly full of misinformation and untruths. This public discourse has caused great angst with bullying tactics being used but the silent majority of Walcha support a project that will bring such great benefits to all. We have been a part of the community for nearly two decades and have always been open about project plans and provided ongoing accurate information. Any issues in a development of this size can be addressed and resolved. We must act now for the greater good of all the community.
I implore the NSW Government Department of Planning to approve this project.

Brooklyn quarry supports the growth and development in the New England region. We think the Winterbourne wind project is an asset to the region, That will bring people and much needed jobs to walcha and the area.

I'm in Favour of the Winterbourne wind project because of the extra revenue I believe it will bring to the community for the local businesses as well as the landholders also the extra jobs created during construction and ongoing maintenance. Hopefully with a project of this scale there will be funding for road upgrades.

I support the winterbourne wind project as I believe it will benefit the Walcha community by bringing income to the landholders which then flows on into the community as well as the extra people during construction spending money in the town. Hopefully there will be money spent on the roads which desperately need improvement.

I strongly support the Winterbourne Windfarm Project for the following reasons:
1. Like it or not the NSW Government has committed to a transition to renewable energy in a very short time frame. There is an urgent need to get these renewable projects underway to replace old coal fired power stations which have a limited lifespan. This project can help with this transition and the developer has the experience and resources to deliver.
2. The Winterbourne Wind project is located within a designated REZ for NSW. The wind resource is significant and the government REZ framework is in place to support the development. Government policy on all sides of the political fence are supportive.
3. Both state and federal government have implemented ambitious goals to reduce greenhouse emissions. All regional communities need to be prepared to share some of the load to ensure these targets are met. As a community we cannot simply put our head in the sand and wish for Windfarm / renewable energy developments to be located somewhere else.
4. The size of this project is significant at 700MW. It can make a real difference in helping to meet the NSW target to reduce greenhouse emissions and to provide energy for NSW.
5. Alternative energy generation ideas such as nuclear power are more expensive and cannot be implemented in the time frames required to replace fossil fuel generation.
6. Walcha has an ageing population and is heavily reliant on agriculture and government services to provide jobs and income. Walcha needs to attract new investment in other industries to generate jobs and attract young people to the town. This project will create up to 3-400 jobs in the construction phase and about 15-16 operations jobs once established. These jobs plus the income paid to turbine and transmission hosts will assist in making the Walcha local economy more prosperous and resilient in the future. Other small businesses such as manufacturing, ag services, earth moving, heavy haulage, hospitality and art can then thrive.
7. The $$ that would be delivered to the Walcha community via the Community Benefit Fund is significant at $750K per annum indexed to inflation. Walcha would significantly benefit from an upgrade to existing community services and amenities.
8. Farmers around Walcha have been impacted greatly by drought, bushfire and storms as well as fluctuations in commodity prices. Alternative income sources such as payments to host landowners will improve resilience and sustainability of those businesses as well as the local rural economy. This in turn will create more employment opportunities on local farms.
9. Local businesses and contractors will have the opportunity to provide services and increase income as a result of the project construction and operation.

I object to the Winterbourne Wind Project - please find my submission attached.

I object to the project on the following grounds:
1) Concern over water issues. The quantity of water required to complete the project is well beyond what can be supplied locally. The EIS states that water for the project will be sourced locally, but that would drain the entire town and every surrounding farm several times over. The extraction of the required amount of water from bores would significantly impact the farming community as well as the World Heritage listed National Park, likely causing an environmental disaster of significant scale.
2) Visual amenity. With the closes turbines a mere 6.3km from town, the visual impact is significant. In addition, the visual impact on the tourist-centred National Park would be even greater, as more turbines are located adjacent to the gorge country
3) lack of community consultation. Failure by the developer to attend community meetings specifically addressing this project is not "consultation". Neither is the lack of consultation with the local indigenous community, on whose land these structures will be built. I am concerned that the community will have to live with this project for a very long time, but will not actually gain anything tangible from it. If we have to have this on our doorstep, can we get free electricity by way of compensation??
4) Fire risk. Not only from the towers erupting into flames themselves (how will that be managed??), but this project severely restricts access to fire-fighting aircraft when bushfires sweep through the gorge country. The project increases bushfire risk by creating a large no-fly zone to the west of the National Park.
5) The EIS does not adequately address the social impacts of the project. The long-term impact for the town and shire of Walcha are glossed over. The prospect of "new employment opportunities" is simply marketing.
6) There is a lack of commitment on the part of the Developer to begin upfront with a bond for the decommissioning of the project at the end of its lifetime
7) The health impacts of the project are inadequate. The EIS minimises the impact of dust during construction, of white noise from vibrations and operation, and of blade flicker.
8) Traffic. I am concerned about the movement of oversized vehicles along the Oxley Highway. I am concerned that the highway will effectively be blocked while hundreds of over-sized deliveries are made. This will interfere with ambulance services to Tamworth Hospital, and also to Armidale Hospital if the trucks are routed further north as the EIS suggest might happen. I am concerned that the local streets - even after upgrading - will be clogged with trucks accessing the project sites.

I object strongly to the project on that basis of biodiversity impact and the significance of the project on flora and fauna. In particular, land clearing and the reduction of eucalypt which would further put at risk endangered koalas. This area should be preserved for their habitat as well as to protect threatened bird species like the small eagl and wedge tail eagle. The proposed site for the project will impact bird life from the dangars lagoon who will inevitable be killed by the turbine blades. This animals deserve protection and cannot be replaced.

The cumulative impact of this project alongside others in the region is significant eg Salisbury, yarrowyck, boorolong, tia wind and woolbrook. There will be a significant cumulative impact of these projects visually and will change the landscape in totality through the multiple proposed projects on prime agricultural land. A person travelling from Walcha to uralla will only see wind turbines. The subsequent and cumulative impact of all these projects will have significant impact on biodiversity in the region as well as significant impact on agricultural businesses and lifestyle with a reduction in land prices. Further, the cumulative impact on regional infrastructure such as roads, housing affordability and waste management.

The proposed project is an excessive burden on this small community. I strongly oppose and suggest finding more suitable locations like stony desert where there is genuine wind and solar opportunity but with limited impact of biodiversity and communities.

Despite owning lot 82 since 1986 no effort was made to include us in any consultation and it was through a 3 rd party we found out about the proposed project.
Lot 82 is 250 metres from tower B001, the noise level has not been addressed the effects on the large Raptor population has not been addressed . We have a contract with the Bio Diversity Conservation trust in perpertuity. Our obligation under this contract is to provide a continuing safe area for the native flora and fauna. This cannot be guaranteed with proposed project going ahead.
The towers create a number of major enviromental issues.
1 building means removing trees for the transport a building of them.
2the water requirements for construction is astronomical
3 decomissioning is a ligistical nightmare and if accomplished how is it proposed to remove the 800 tonnes of concrete under each tower?
4 this project stands on the edge of some of the most fragile and beautiful gorge country in the New England region.
The effect of the release of the BPA and fibreglass particles during the blade erosion in such areas as the Wild Rivers National Park has a polluting effect as far as the east coast rivers.
Not only do l take strong objection to this project but whilst we have a contract w/- the BCT it could create a situation wher we cannot fulfil our obligations and could lead to litigation.

Betts Tranport employs 75 employees involved in general freight and livestock transport in and out of the Walcha LGA.
We are long term supporters and contributors of the Walcha economy and community for over 35 years.
Not only do we employ locals, we sponsor many local events and organisations annually. Most importantly we choose to live and raise our 3rd generation here in Walcha.
We have grave concerns from the transport perspective, given that the EIS indicates a massive increase of heavy vehicles into the Walcha LGA. In particular the transport route involving the Oxley Highway, Oversize Overmass vehicles from Tamworth via Bendemeer will impact travel times immensely for what already is time sensitive freight being livestock. For example curfiews at feedlots/abattoirs or animal welfare on long distance stock transport for restockers of the Walcha community.
Our other concern is on the smaller local roads in the Winterbourne Wind Farm sites where we are transporting cattle. How are we expected to manage our trips if we are unable to pass the heavy vehicles on these small country roads? Especially given the fact of our high centre of gravity loads with livestock moving around that do not enable us to get off the road safely to pass other vehicles.
With this impact we will not be able to leave the farms until the OSOM vehicles have passed the farm gateway and with these vehicles expected to be travelling along these roads every 2 minutes during the peak construction phase, this will create great time delays and livestock welfare issues and significant price impacts on the farmers for shrinkage.
For the drivers there will be log book and fatigue issues with any excess working time, which could also have impacts on the livestock end destination times.
Our business is located on the Darjeeling Road and the massive increase in traffic passing our gate will have an enormous impact on the ability of the trucks to exit our yard. Also, adding to the issues as raised above in terms of livestock and driver times.
The damage to the roads within the Walcha LGA and surrounding areas is of major concern. The council cannot currently keep up with the normal traffic wear and tear, let alone the impact of a further 288 trucks per day, which we believe has been underestimated by the Developer. How are the roads meant to be upgraded or maintained with that level of increase in traffic?
We worry about employment as we may lose staff to the project, causing a wage increase that is not sustainable in a small profit based industry. What will be the impacts during the construction period to local employment but we also have concerns post construction to rebuilding our employment base.
Currently there is rental shortage and this project will create further issues for our staff in terms of finding accommodation and also should we have to put up staff on a temporary basis there will not be the hotels and motel rooms available for local business.
We have many business meeting that include customers, client's, sales reps coming to town whereby money is spent at the local business houses for food and accommodation. The influx of short term employment spike will have detrimental impacts on our ability to do this locally.
The change of social capital to the demographic of Walcha by the introduction of 400 transient construction employees will change the look and makeup of our town.
We have a profitable, contributing, long term industry, we believe the economic and social cost of the Winterbourne Wind Farm on our business and other local businesses is too great. There has to be better places for this kind of development than a small prosperous town supporting 2000+ people.

I think the project is far too big for a small community as we do not have a functioning hospital already.
It is already started to make divide within the community.
I’m concerned on what it’s going to do to the production of our land that we are living.
I’m also very nervous for the future of Walcha as no one wants to live in in industrial estate.
I do not think the road infrastructure is sound. Poor can be sound in the near future for how much traffic is predicted to be using the road. It goes straight past my front entrance. I have no desire to have that much that amount of traffic driving past my front driveway of morning or at any time. There needs to be a better plan Put in place as there is no way to get to a hospital in case of emergencies.
As a farmer in Walcha, I am extremely concerned about the studies that have shown reproductive issues within livestock, horses and dogs.
It also worries me the amount of noise that is predicted for this project and talking to other people that have been in areas with wind turbines saying that their dogs go mad and had to have been put down extremely concerned as to what will happen to all my work, dogs, my horses, and all my life stock.
I’m not against renewable energies forms. I just don’t think that this proposed project is in the right location for what is needed as the area here has so much nature and wildlife around it. I’m worried that it will it where the proposed turbines are going that a lot of natural habitats are going to have to be destroyed in order to put them up.
If this project goes ahead, I can’t say good things for the town as already the town is so divided and nothing has even happened as of yet. I just don’t think it’s going to be a very good place to bring up a family as what it is now, I think it’ll change the whole social Academic of the town and I think Waugh find there will be a lot of properties for sale and a lot of people leaving if this project gets up and running

I support the Winterbourne windfarm project. Australia is a global laggard in meeting its global climate obligations. Federally we need to approval and proceed with more quality projects that reduce the carbon and global warming of our economy and in particular our energy system.

Winterbourne is a great project that will help reduce high carbon emitting electricity production, or considering the recent shutdown announcements, provide green, carbon free electricity production that will prevent blackouts when NSW coal generators shutdown.

I have lived in Walcha for 42 years and I object to the Winterbourne Wind Farm Project for the following reasons:

1. It will cause massive logistical problems for the community of Walcha for many reasons. The traffic and transport is a combination of issues that relate to state of roads, accommodation, access to facilities, traffic congestion and access other regional centres.
2. It will industrialise Walcha and will change Walcha greatly and be detrimental to our small community.
3. I have grave concerns in relation to the destruction of biodiversity as the Wind development is sited on the edge or adjacent to the Oxley Wild Rivers National Park which incorporates the World Heritage Listed Gondwana Rainforest and other tracts of wilderness that cannot be replaced and requires protection.

I am strongly in favor of projects like Winterbourne Wind in order to decarbonize the grid and reach our climate goals. Australia has always done very well with solar projects, but we need to continue to add wind power to our energy mix. Especially as we shut down the coal plants in NSW. This project is well designed and will make a material difference. It represents nearly 2 billion dollars in investment and will end up being one of the largest wind projects in Australia.

I object to the Winterbourne Wind Farm Project on the following basis and these are a few of many:

1. Poor community consultation from the Developer. I don't feel that adequate information has been provided to the community.
2. High ecological impact. The project will cause enormous disruption and damage to the Oxley Wild Rivers National Park, which includes the World Heritage listed Gondwana Rainforest.
3. Where is the water and gravel to be sourced? The developer has submitted an incomplete EIS that does not identify resources and the impact of these resources on our community.

I object to the project - my submission is attached.