Winterbourne Wind Farm

Building the Winterbourne Wind Farm project is a vital step which will assist in slowing climate change and contributing to much needed reductions of greenhouse house gas emissions.
I support the Winterbourne Wind Farm project which is developing renewables at much less cost to the community than fossil fuels which are destroying our environment.
I also welcome the development of new skills, new jobs and other benefits to Walcha and surrounding communities.
NSW and Australia need more projects such as this to enable the old, polluting, fossil-fuel power generators to be shut down as soon as possible.

I thoroughly believe that the progression on the Winterbourne Wind farm project, will have detrimental effects on the agricultural and tourism ventures of Walcha. i believe the commencement of the project will destroy the natural beauty and health of our region seriously deplete Walcha's community morale. I believe hydro power is a much more suitable option for renewable entry in Australia and is in the best interest of the Walcha community.

I object to the proposed construction of the Winterbourne Wind Farm in the Walcha region. The following are some of my concerns:

Location of Site

Whilst I wholeheartedly support renewable resources, an unjustified impact is imposed on a small rural community like Walcha as a result of the selection of the site. As well as being in direct conflict with any strategic land use planning, it is detrimental to maintaining the quality of the agricultural lands of the area.

Size

This project is a proposed size of the site at 700MW. It will be installing the biggest wind turbines to be constructed in Australia so far, standing 230m above ground. This is the height of the revolving restaurant in Centrepoint Tower in Sydney, or in other terms, the length of 2 full sized soccer pitches high.

Number of Wind Turbines

In addition to the size of the turbines, the number of turbines proposed is excessive, currently 119 for this project, but there are also still more planned for the area.

The impact is not only visual to the landscape, but also impacts on the safety, natural habitat, and continuity of the community and environment surrounding the project.

Community

Walcha is supposed to (and should) benefit from the project, however in reality it will be the opposite. If local tradesmen and labour were used, it is already difficult to get trades in the area, and so it will become even more difficult for local individuals and businesses to get trades and/or employees. If local accommodation for workers were used, in reality there is a limited amount available already, the workers will need to find accommodation elsewhere, so Walcha will not receive any benefit there. Plus there will be more traffic, roadworks, and disruptions.

I am also concerned about the impact on tourism. The area has some iconic visitor destinations and wilderness areas which may not have the same appeal with large turbines in those areas.

The Project’s community consultation was simply not sufficient to inform the community adequately, and a community divide is already evident.


Danger for aviation

In the EIS there were very few agricultural airstrips noted as being affected by turbines. There are many more airstrips that are used in the area that were not noted in the EIS. Agricultural airstrips are used for essential servicing of the area by air. Not only this, but the area where turbines are proposed would become a no-fly zone. Services by air include (but are not limited to):
- Aerial firefighting (including national parks)
- Aerial search and rescue
- Aerial fertiliser spreading
- Aerial weed and pest control

These services would become dangerous, if not almost impossible, around the proposed turbines. The area serviced by air is not easily accessible by ground, so this puts the national parks, wildlife and habitat in danger, as well as the community.

Construction and Transportation

Machinery and Trucks involved in transportation and installation/construction of the wind turbines, concrete for footings, building of access roads, substations and other project components.

Even JUST looking at Oversized and Overmass Vehicle transport to the Project from the Port of Newcastle is expected to be approximately 1,592 deliveries with the preferred route outlined in EIS to be 394kms (just to Walcha) each, that is 627,248 km driven by heavy vehicles using significant amounts of (mainly) diesel as fuel. (Figures taken from EIS Appendix J - Traffic Impact Assessment). Each of these trips require at least 2 pilot vehicles to accompany it. Then there are the trucks and machinery for the construction of the turbines, concrete foundations, building of access roads (gravel and water trucks, and other machinery), modifications of current roads, building of outbuildings and substations etc.

The additional traffic to the area, road works and disruptions, as well as the significant fuel requirements seems a little ridiculous given the project’s main purpose of producing renewable energy, and the above is only a small calculation regarding a small segment of the overall transport requirements.

Decommissioning transport has not been accounted for in the EIS, but whichever way the turbines are decommissioned and deconstructed, the transportation of these materials will be significant.

Significant Water Resources Required

Water is a precious resource, and there will be lots of water required for the project. It will not be accessed from the Walcha water supply. To sink bores to gain access to underground water may affect the aquifer for surrounding farms. How can the water issue be managed? The scale of the water requirement is staggering, so If the water will be carted from elsewhere, that is again more heavy vehicles on the roads, travelling kilometres and using significant fuel. Water cartage transport has not been accounted for in the EIS.

Would it not be better to locate the large number of Wind Turbines to an area closer to the port, or somewhere else where some of the infrastructure is already in place?

Habitat

This is a destructive project on the health of the natural ecology of the area. Not only will there be 207ha of koala habitat that is being destroyed permanently (according to Table 6-12 “Biodiversity Offsets Credits”), but many other species will be displaced. There will also be loss of connectivity habitat, wildlife corridors on ridgelines that will be cleared to make way for 113km of roads, underground cabling and turbines that are targeting those same ridgelines.

There is also a high concentration of Eagles that exist on the edge of the gorge, where a large number of turbines are located. These birds are particularly prone to bird strike with Wind Turbines.

I believe this project should be relocated to another area with less impact on the community, agricultural production, and habitats surrounding it, perhaps offshore is an option?

Health Impacts

I am concerned about the ability for emergency services to get through traffic issues due to the huge amount of transport that will be on the roads, closed roads, road works etc. Not only this, but the long term issues that may impact on health such as shadow flicker, electromagnetic radiation, air quality, and also sound issues.

As well as the community health issues, could these issues also drive out the fauna and disrupt the habitat of the area?

There are currently insufficient renewable projects with NSW planning approval , which is going to be challenging for NSW to achieve its ambitious net zero emissions target.
I support the development of this wind farm for the following reasons:
1. This wind farm is required to drive the energy transition, displacing generation from emissions intensive legacy old fossil fuel power stations.
2. This wind farm once built is potentially the largest wind farm built in NSW, benefiting from economies of scale and well positioned to be a competitive source of renewable energy.
3. With such high levels of solar penetration on residential and commercial/industrial rooftops, the system needs diversity in renewable fuel source for when the sun isn’t shining (the overcast days and at night) .
4. The positive impact on the economic development of regional NSW with jobs created during construction and through operations.

I object to the proposed construction of the Winterbourne Wind Farm in the Walcha region. The following are my concerns:

Location of Site, Size and Number of Wind Turbines

Whilst I wholeheartedly support renewable resources, an unjustified impact is imposed on a small rural community like Walcha as a result of the selection of the site and the proposed size of the site at 700MW. As well as being in direct conflict with any strategic land use planning, it is detrimental to maintaining the quality of the agricultural lands of the area.

This project will be installing the biggest wind turbines to be constructed in Australia so far, standing 230m above ground. This is the height of the revolving restaurant in Centrepoint Tower in Sydney!!

In addition to the size of the turbines, the number of turbines proposed is excessive, currently 119 for this project, but still more planned for the area.

The impact is not only visual to the landscape, but also impacts on the safety, natural habitat, and continuity of the community and environment surrounding the project.

Community

Walcha is supposed to benefit from the project, however in reality it will be the opposite. If local tradesmen and labour were used, it is already difficult to get trades in the area, and so it will become even more difficult for local individuals and businesses to get trades and/or employees. If local accommodation for workers were used, in reality there is a limited amount available already, the workers will need to find accommodation elsewhere, so Walcha will not receive any benefit there. Plus there will be more traffic, roadworks, and disruptions.

I am also concerned about the impact on tourism. The area has some iconic visitor destinations and wilderness areas which may not have the same appeal with large turbines in those areas.

The Project’s community consultation was simply not sufficient to inform the community adequately, and a community divide is already evident.

Danger for aviation

In the EIS there were very few agricultural airstrips noted as being affected by turbines. A member of my family who has worked in aerial services in the area for many years identified many more airstrips that are used in the area, and not noted in the EIS. Agricultural airstrips are used for essential servicing of the area by air. Not only this, but and the area where turbines are proposed would become a no-fly zone. Services by air include (but are not limited to):
- Aerial firefighting (including national parks)
- Aerial search and rescue
- Aerial fertiliser spreading
- Aerial weed and pest control

These services would become dangerous, if not almost impossible, around the proposed turbines. The area serviced by air is not easily accessible by ground, so this puts the national parks, wildlife and habitat in danger, as well as the community.

Construction and Transportation

Machinery and Trucks involved in transportation and installation/construction of the wind turbines, concrete for footings, building of access roads, substations and other project components.

Even JUST looking at Oversized and Overmass Vehicle transport to the Project from the Port of Newcastle is expected to be approximately 1,592 deliveries with the preferred route outlined in EIS to be 394kms (just to Walcha) each, that is 627,248 km driven by heavy vehicles using significant amounts of (mainly) diesel as fuel. (Figures taken from EIS Appendix J - Traffic Impact Assessment). Each of these trips require at least 2 pilot vehicles to accompany it. Then there are the trucks and machinery for the construction of the turbines, concrete foundations, building of access roads (gravel and water trucks, and other machinery), modifications of current roads, building of outbuildings and substations etc.

The additional traffic to the area, road works and disruptions, as well as the significant fuel requirements seems a little ridiculous given the project’s main purpose of producing renewable energy, and the above is only a small calculation regarding a small segment of the overall transport requirements.

Decommissioning transport has not been accounted for in the EIS, but whichever way the turbines are decommissioned and deconstructed, the transportation of these materials will be significant.

Significant Water Resources Required

Water is a precious resource, and there will be lots of water required for the project. It will not be accessed from the Walcha water supply. To sink bores to gain access to underground water may affect the aquifer for surrounding farms. How can the water issue be managed? The scale of the water requirement is staggering, so If the water will be carted from elsewhere, that is again more heavy vehicles on the roads, travelling kilometres and using significant fuel. Water cartage transport has not been accounted for in the EIS.

Would it not be better to locate the large number of Wind Turbines to an area closer to the port, or somewhere else where some of the infrastructure is already in place?

Habitat

This is a destructive project on the health of the natural ecology of the area. Not only will there be 207ha of koala habitat that is being destroyed permanently (according to Table 6-12 “Biodiversity Offsets Credits”), but many other species will be displaced. There will also be loss of connectivity habitat, wildlife corridors on ridgelines that will be cleared to make way for 113km of roads, underground cabling and turbines that are targeting those same ridgelines.

There is also a high concentration of Eagles that exist on the edge of the gorge, where a large number of turbines are located. These birds are particularly prone to bird strike with Wind Turbines.

I believe this project should be relocated to another area with less impact on the community, agricultural production, and habitats surrounding it, perhaps offshore is an option?

Health Impacts

I am concerned about the ability for emergency services to get through traffic issues due to the huge amount of transport that will be on the roads, closed roads, road works etc. Not only this, but the long term issues that may impact on health such as shadow flicker, electromagnetic radiation, air quality, and also sound issues.

As well as the community health issues, could these issues also drive out the fauna and disrupt the habitat of the area?


Unknown downside factors of Wind Turbines in other countries that may be a problem here

I believe that some of the detrimental factors of the installation of wind turbines are not yet known, but have been experienced or studied in other locations around the world where wind turbines have been around for much longer. These indicate there can be unexpected detrimental outcomes.

BPA or similar substances leaching

I have concerns about the materials that are used to produce the blades, and the potential for erosion of particles from the blades into the ecosystem. Nano particles can be transported by wind and water, potentially spreading over a wide area. They can also be taken up by plants and animals and can even enter the food chain.

It is common for BPA to be used in the wind turbine blades, and studies have shown that BPA can have negative effects on aquatic organisms, and it can also impact the growth, reproduction and behaviour of some organisms, which can have a ripple effect on the ecosystem. As early as 2012, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned the world about the possible carcinogenic properties of endocrine disruptors such as in its report “State of the science of endocrine-disrupting chemicals”; it concluded that these substances are a global threat to public health.

It is worrying that there could be such substances leaching into the soil, water courses and environment, and ultimately we do not know the effects of this.

Warming and possible localised atmospheric effects

There has been research which found that wind turbines produce a warming effect in the areas surrounding the turbines. This warming is the result of wind turbines actively mixing the atmosphere near the ground and aloft while simultaneously extracting from the atmosphere’s motion.

“A wind farm that extracts energy from the wind will generally reduce the windspeed downwind of the turbines. This will have small and localised effects on the weather – with less wind, the land might become slightly warmer and, depending on the land characteristics, less wind could also result in less evaporation leading to slightly lower humidity.” Prof Roger Kemp FREng, Professorial Fellow at Lancaster University

Could this, in time, cause disruption to the ecological balance of things in very productive agricultural land?


Infrasound

The spinning blades of huge wind turbines have an effect on their surroundings, and it goes beyond aesthetics. The spinning blades can produce a weak but distinctive noise, as well as disruptions in air pressure. The noise is generated by the movement of the blades through the air, as well as from the turbine machinery.

Could this possibly drive out the fauna and disrupt the habitat of the area?

Would it not be better to locate the large number of Wind Turbines to an area closer to the port, or somewhere where the infrastructure is existing already?

My name is Allan Davies and with my wife Lyn, we own approx 9,500 acres of grazing land 25 km south of Walcha in the St Leonard's Creek valley. Our address in that location is "Mirrabooka", 311 St Leonards Creek Road, Walcha.
I object to this development as it is adverse to the nature of the area and its inhabitants including wildlife. If approved, it will initiate a proliferation of these destructive, expensive and inefficient windfarms in the southern New England Tableland.
My reasons for objecting are:
1. High Ecological impact - located near the Oxley Wild Rivers National Park the development has the potential to destroy wildlife habitat, impact fire fighting capability especially by air and create erosion and runoff sedimentation into the National Park. Wind tower malfunctions are notorious and they often create fires. This additional risk plus the fact the aerial firefighting capability will be negated are good reasons not to approve the project.
2. The water impact information in the Devt Application appears to be flawed. The water volumes assumed to be used for the development (without dust suppression) are significantly unstated. Dust suppression water requirements are also signifcantly understated. apart from that oversight, sourcing the water is also fraught as there are limited supplies without impacting the local community.
3. The impact of the project on the local community of Walcha and tourists passing through regarding roadworks, traffic congestion and delays will be significant. Local residents will be severely inconvenienced during the construction period. In addition, it is unlikely that the project will be able to financially sustain the roadworks required to ensure reasonable access for wind towers and residents at the same time.
4. Visual impact - the visual impact of 119 turbines 230m in height will be significant. Walcha is a pristine rural community and the number of turbines and their height will make a signiifcant negative visual impact. Modelling by local community groups has determined that most parts of Walcha town and close surrounds will be visually subjected to the obscene wind towers.
5. Transmission of the generated power - interconnectors to existing power transmission lines is required which will impact some landowners land and devalue that land. Eventually, when the capacity of the current transmission lines is filled, new transmission lines will need to be built. This will further impact on residents and landowners the Southern New England area. If the NSW Government and Australian Governments are so intent on supporting the installation of wind turbines, why are these Governments not promoting and approving offshore wind developments between Wollongong and Newcastle close to where the population is and the power is required. This approach would reduce capital costs of land acquisition or creation of easements, reduce transmission losses and be able to tie into current substation infrastructure. Surely this approach would alleviate significant landowner and residents concerns in rural areas like Walcha.
6. Decommissioning plans are inadequate. Without commitment to posting a bond for the full costs of rehabilitating the destruction of the area including removal of the wind towers and blades and removal of concrete and roads which serviced the towers plus the transmission lines, the project should not proceed, let alone for any other reason. Windfarm proponents usually try and sell their interests and without a substantial bond for rehabilitation, landowners will be left footing the bill or worse, looking at outdated and non-operating derelict wind towers.
There are many other reasons for objecting to this proposal but I have provided the main reasons in the above submission.
Allan Davies

Dear Iwan Davies
Objection to SSD-10471 Winterbourne Wind Project

I object to the proposed SSD-10471 project because:
• The 230m high by 162m wide wind turbines are very much bigger than any existing wind turbine operating in Australia, or for that matter most of the skyscrapers in the Sydney CBD. These turbines will make the visual pollution already occurring in the region even worse, including from the local villages, local roads and nearby National Park.

• Even more native vegetation, and therefore wildlife habitat including koala habitat, will be destroyed by the clearing of the land, particularly along the vegetated hilltops and mountain ridges. Carbon dioxide is absorbed by vegetation, so it seems counter intuitive to destroy so much of it and then claim they are reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

• Increased risk of fires spreading uncontrollably from turbines that will catch fire over the projected life of the project works, which would be near impossible for fire-fighters to control, as witnessed last month when a grass fire threatened Beryl solar works; more than a dozen fire-fighting units and three water-bombing helicopters took four hours to bring a relatively small fire under control in benign winter conditions.

• Even more bats and birds, including the protected Wedge-tailed Eagle and endangered Barking Owl, both of which are also under threat from an approved solar project and proposed solar and wind projects in the Central West Orana Renewable Energy Zone.

Regards
A very concerned regional resident

Dear Contact Planner, Iwan Davies
I object to SSD-10471 Winterbourne Wind Project

My objections to the proposed modification to SSD-10471 are that:
The proposed wind turbine project is still a massive wind project, which requires lots of land clearing and is visually intrusive with 119 wind turbines at 230m high. The country views will be nothing more than views of a sprawling industrial complex that requires enormous resources to produce very little electricity when it is actually required. The project should not be approved.

My electricity bills have been rising every year over the last five years despite changing every year to the cheapest electricity retailer plan available. These cumulatively massive bill increases coincide with 95% of all NEM grid investments in that period being for renewables. This relationship between increased renewables in the electricity system mix and its required infrastructure needed for transmission and backup when the wind and sun are not available was evident in the UK, Germany, USA and other countries before 2022. It has now become an energy crisis in 2022/23 for those countries and also Australia. This project, if approved, will only greatly increase my, and others, future electricity bills. The promised cheaper electricity never arrives. The proposal should not be approved.
I am very concerned about the massive increase in heavy vehicle traffic that this project and several other projects will cumulatively cause over the next several years. I regularly travel through the Liverpool Plains, Nundle, Uralla, Tamworth, New England, Singleton, Newcastle areas to visit my children and grandchildren in Northern NSW and in the Central Coast. With possibly thousands of extra light and very heavy vehicle movements each day my already long travel times will be increased as well as being significantly more dangerous. The condition of the Golden and New England Highways are bad enough at the best of times but the transport of extremely large and heavy wind turbine towers and blades, as well as Lithium batteries, inverters, etc. will make them significantly worse. Road repairs will increase and so journey times will blow out substantially. The proposal should not be approved.
Please reject SSD-10471 Winterbourne Wind Project.
Your sincerely
Resident of MWRC LGA

I strongly object to the Winterbourne Wind Farm (SSD-10471) project going ahead in the Walcha area of NSW and the submission they have produced. These developers have not given credit to the community they are imposing this project on, and this is reflected in the poor quality of their submission. There has been no strategic planning between Vestas and the local community and limited communication, it is indeed a desk top publication of 'tick the boxes', and an insult to the people who value this area.

The intrusion of 22,000 vehicular movements (83% of which will be semi trailers and the like), on a one way in, one way out road system in this area will be hugely detrimental to the entire region and every person who uses these roads. Having already had our road system decimated by wet weather, to be now faced with grid lock when huge vehicles carrying 230m long turbines, try to manoeuvre their way through the hills, this project cannot be supported. What will happen in emergency situations when vehicles cannot proceed! Who will make amends for lives lost or harm caused by this imposition?

I implore you to reject this submission from, and the entire project of Winterbourne Wind Farm.

Yours faithfully,
Lou Forsythe

With the rapidly declining capacity of fossil fuels to produce power, projects like Winterbourne Wind must be supported.

The long term economic benefits that this project will deliver surpasses any minor annoyances during the construction phase.

Providing an injection of capital to agriculture in the wind farm area and beyond is very significant. This will ensure that the emerging generation of farmers and graziers are sustainable and continue to seek out and adopt new technologies.

Renewable energy projects such as Winterbourne Wind delivers multiple benefits well beyond the local area. The actions of a vocal few who spread emotive misinformation must not be allowed to halt this much needed future energy source.

This project as a young resident living in the community who will live in the community has deeply concerned me that a small community such as Walcha and all of the New England regional towns will be changed forever. This project has had misinformation and poor planning about the project for community members and land holders. These wind turbines are not environmentally friendly for our flora and fauna and livestock that are run in our community. Regional farmers and community members have no access to aircraft in natural disaster emergencies such as bushfires. No aerial fertilisation can be accessed in these turbine area zones for agricultural development which prohibits our agricultural production. I fear and believe living near National parks and wildlife conservation parks that bushfires will continue to occur and will make bushfire fighting conditions harder without aircraft access. These wind turbines also have a poorly mentioned noise of infrasound that will wear away people’s health, safety and well-being for community stability. The shadowing in the morning and evening of flickering light will also be very irritating potentially causing problems with mental heath. The congestion of main roads and public services will delay people’s functioning in the community for local residents and tourists travelling to and from the community due to larger scale trucking and industrial vehicles developing these wind towers. All of the main roads will have to be replaced with more government spending. Increased shire rates for community members will occur. This project does not mention in the agreement about a decommissioning process at the conclusion the wind tower lifespan. The large scale infrastructure on farm is concerning with the destruction of such as beautiful land scape destroyed and unfunctionable farming practicies such as livestock work, fencing, farming of the land and general farm maintenance. Delays of our local roads with traffic congestion can see an impact for people to utilise community facilities and their necessities due to congested traffic. Emergency services will struggle to approach on farm emergencies to save people’s lives due to the traffic. Local buses and schools will struggle to arrive on time for their education as well. Community stability and social aspects have been divided since this issue has been faced by our community.

As a local landholder in the Walcha community I have many negative concerns regarding the wind farm proposals stamped for our pristine New England region and 100% am opposing this project.
I am dissatisfied with the lack of consultation with developers who cannot be bothered to come into our local community to discuss our concerns or address and answer all our questions and issues.
Confidentiality agreements between landholders and developers has created a division between our once united community and this negative behaviour has severe mental health consequences for all our residents.
With drought and bushfires still fresh in our minds I am deeply concerned about the restrictions of water aircraft not being able to provide assistance in the event of a bushfire to protect our land, livestock, flora and fauna, native animals in our community, potentially causing devastating impacts for all.
Other questions that come to mind are who will finance the decommissioning of the turbines once they have reached the end of their lifespan. Where will they be disposed? And how will this affect our environment. Lack of information and studies around long term impacts to our mental health due to infrasound and shadowing have not properly been considered or discussed.
I am not opposed to clean energy but this project is the wrong fit for the wrong region.

There’s been very poor planning for this project therefore I feel uniformed. If this project is meant to beneficial why are particular landholders being forced into confidentiality. Landholders haven’t been given the opportunity to evaluate the negatives as well as the positives. Information is onesided and there is little community consolation. The risk of bushfires, livestock and wellbeing has not been accounted for.
The community is unaware of the environmental damage such as community congestion, road damage, the harm of pristine land and livestock habitats. This also impacts the future leaders of our region by disrupting their education due to the interruption of travel to and from school. This specific problem alongside many others such as mental health and stability affects, students across our community. The mental and physical impact applies to everyone in our community due to the sudden division between a once united community. This sudden division has been caused by the confidentiality between landholders and developers leaving the people with well and truely obscured knowledge and decisions.
With the devastating bushfires having passed fairly recently and experiencing the fear, devastation and the aftermath it is a serious concern that landholders and the community have zero access to assistance such as water aircraft to protect the flora, fauna and landscape of our home. These issues are incredibly serious and significant to keeping our community a safe and happy place to live. Disrupting this community not only puts livestock, landscape and wildlife at risk but also our lives. It is crucial that we also consider the disposal of these large wind turbines and the risk of serious environmental wastage, damage and loss of land and livestock, causing a wasteland.
These issues as well as others impact our economy and our lives. The risks and damages leave our home and our community at stake of serious consequences.

This project has very poor planning and very little community consultation. There is major inhibitors for local farming such as aerial agricultural applications and has major problems with bushfire protection from aircraft water bombing. Infrasound concerns me greatly for the mental health of community and wellbeing of our livestock. Shadowing in the morning and afternoon is also a major concern. Environmental impacts on water, gravel supply, road damage also major traffic congestion have not been properly considered. Wildlife such as native birds will be impacted greatly as well. Our pristine landscape will be ruined forever and become a industrial eyesore which could potentially ruin the very important local tourism industry. The confidentiality between project developers and land holders has created a major division in our community which was once very united. The life span of the wind towers has a very short term (approximately not much more than 20 years )solution to energy supply with major environmental impacts makes it not an attractive project. The decommissioning also has not been properly planned and no plans have been made to where the towers will be disposed or how

Please see attached objection

I wish to object to the proposed Winterbourne Wind Project.
I am a local who has lived in Salisbury Plains for 20 years and have grown my own business here and currently work in Walcha in the Tourism sector.
I am disappointed with the process of how these projects are established and how communities are split by developers actions. The secret squirrel mentality and the salesman tactics are disgusting.
The Winterbourne Wind project is a proposal for an oversized 700 megawatt wind farm consisting of 119 wind turbines, each 230 metres high, bordering the Oxley Wild Rivers National Park.
The proposal will decimate this area and effect the biodiversity within and surrounding the Oxley Wild Rivers National Park. The idea of moving large objects into this area and not impacting the surrounds is absurd. The wanton destruction proposed by Vesta is appalling and for the state government to even consider this astonishing.
The developers are truly the winners here not the community, or the landholders and at a huge cost to the environmental.
The Winterbourne Wind Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) has identified multiple threatened fauna and flora species, as well as fragile ecosystems, that will be significantly affected by the development. Over 200 hectares of habitat for Koalas, Spotted Tail Quoll, the Greater Glider and Squirrel Glider, Glossy Black Cockatoo, and Barking Owl will be destroyed. Surely this screams of lunacy.
The EIS documents also acknowledge that there is a high population of Wedge-Tailed Eagles in the area that fly at the height of the turbines, and, along with the Glossy Black Cockatoo and White Throated Needletail.
Threatened flora, including the Narrow-leaved Black Peppermint, a type of Eucalypt unique to the New England and specifically the Oxley Wild Rivers National Park. The Gondwana Rainforests are unique to this area and small in mass. This is something we should be protecting.
Vestas solution of carbon credits to offset this destruction should not even be considered. There is no price to initiate extinction to a whole ecosystem.
The lack of care and errors in the EIS documents indicate the lack of concern Vestas has for the valuable land and the biodiversity that lives with in it. Their failure to inform the community of the project in an open and transparent way has also been a large concern. The bare minimum to meet their requirements.
There are several developers in the Walcha and Uralla Shires wishing to undertake similar projects. The REZ will significantly change the New England and the cumulative impact of these projects is too much in the one place.
Winterbourne is not in the right place and will and has already created distrust between neighbours and friends in a small community.
The wealth from this project will not be seen in Walcha and Uralla. It will be felt by few and the outcome will be destructive to the New England.

I object to this project for these reasons. As a neighbour the Visual impact will be devastating, with flashing lights all night and the Noise of the Turbines all day and night.
The Water source , as claimed in the EIS will come from Bores and Farm dams. I am totally opposed to this . I have a number of Bores I use for Cattle and Sheep drinking water. If this developer uses bore water it will dry up the aquifers and we lose all our stock water.
The Biodiversity report is inadequate, when the surveys where done during the drought.
The social impact on the community. Neighbour versus Neighbour mate versus mate the community has been divided.
Lack of consultation with the community.
Cumulative impact will be devastating to our region.
Noise assessment results are opinions only there are no Wind Turbines on land this big to collect accurate results from.
There is no decommissioning fund provided by the Developer to remove Wind Turbines, Powerlines and to regenerate the land.

Environmentally this proposed development goes against all current guidelines for the conservation and protection of our prime agricultural land. The road building and excavation required will lead to erosion and damage to the immediate area, but also downstream all the way to the ocean. The quantity of concrete quoted at 800 m3 times 120 says it all.
The construction phase involving transport, roading ,water requirements and disruptions to the lives and livelihoods of locals is reason enough to say no, but these turbines will continue to be a blight on our lives and environment for their working life and decommissioning.
The low frequency emissions generated by these machines is a major concern. The effects on livestock production, wildlife and the human population has not been fully assessed.
This will end badly, with litigation and bad blood. The sweeteners offered by the project only demonstrates how unpalatable it is. The proposal is a social and environmental disaster and should not be allowed to go ahead. Colin McNaught

As a former resident of Winterbourne, Having good local knowledge of the Winterbourne landscape I express my support for this project.
Regardless of any sentimental connection with the area, I believe this project to be of significant importance to the state’s energy crisis in generation of power. Economic and other benefits to Walcha and surrounds in construction and maintenance periods will ensure growth to community and much needed infrastructure improvements.
Having reviewed the EIS, I am satisfied in the planning of this proposal and believe it to be thoroughly assessed.
My profession in risk management qualifies me to state the above, and particularly comfortable after reviewing EIS appendices on bushfire mitigation and vegetation management.
NSW, And Australia needs this project to be approved. Walcha community will reap the rewards and have a golden opportunity to be part of a solution to the nation’s energy crisis

I support the winterbourne wind project because of the following reasons the project will be creating up to 400 jobs during the construction period the project will see millions of dollars spent in regional nsw. This will be boosting the economy for walcha and providing money back in to the community benefit fund this project will help reduce the greenhouse emissions it’s a step to get to nsw’s 50% reproduction plan. The wind farm project is far more safer than fossil fuel with no air and water being polluted.