Group gathers against wind farm

HUNDREDS convened at Lethbridge Airport on Sunday to push back against the proposed Tall Tree wind farm project which would see up to sixty turbine towers erected in the area.

With development intended for around Lethbridge’s west and Teesdale’s north by Acciona Energia, objectors highlighted the impact the project would have on the area.

Andrea McKendry is one five key organisers behind the pushback and said the community action event was about raising awareness for their cause.

“The aim is to get community support and get this out there because this has been released really sneakily where developers put a flyer on the community notice and that’s it,” she said.

“So, people just don’t know it’s happening and the reason we don’t want it to is because it’ll impact 8000 residents. There’s so many better places where it’s not heavily populated for this to happen.”

Using an aerial display and smoke trails to demonstrate the height of the towers, Lethbridge Airport co-owner Garry Baum said the towers would negatively impact the site’s operations as well as their ability to cater for emergency services.

“It would take up 180 degrees of the actual airport and the other 180 degrees has bushland where we don’t fly or train on,” he said. “This is like having the Rialto bumper to bumper and a half moon right out this airport. One thousand feet is our circuit height. These are 920 feet high which is just super dangerous.

“The majority of our 120 aircraft couldn’t climb out over the top of these. This is Geelong’s regional airport and it will really set us back if it goes ahead.

“Our emergency services will be affected too. They’ll have to take off towards these wind farms because the majority of our bad fires come from the north and west.”

With former Bellarine Shire mayor Bernie Knight as MC, the event saw 10 speakers including Mr Baum, RMIT’s Professor of Environment and Planning, Michael Buxton, Senator Sarah Henderson, and Shadow Minister for Planning, James Newbury.

Mr Newbury said his role in the pushback was to give the community a voice following recently-announced planning pathway accelerations for renewable energy projects.

“The State Government, some three weeks ago, created a new power which says the Minister can now decide future renewable projects, effectively taking those projects outside the planning boards,” he said.

“This project has not gone through a level of community consultation that’s fair and reasonable. I’ve helped set up a petition which several hundred people have signed and I intend to provide it to the minister.

“Parliament’s sitting in a couple weeks so it’ll be submitted around that time.”