Residents reject proposed wind farm

RESIDENTS at Lethbridge, Teesdale and surrounds are pushing back against a proposed wind farm which would see up to sixty wind turbine generators and accompanying infrastructure built in the area.

The project called Tall Tree Wind Farm is being planned by Acciona Energia, and following information sessions held earlier this month, a Facebook community action group has been established to oppose the development.

Windfarm objector Andrea McKendry has lived in the region for 20 years and said the project would have a negative impact.

“The main one for me is the impact on animals,” she said. “We have some special, critically endangered animals in the area and others like wedge-tailed eagles, sun moths, and fat-tailed dunnart.

“There’s also the impact on health. There’s studies from America that show people get anxiety, stress, and sleep disturbances from the low emitting hum they’re living nearby.

“We’ve spoken to the people living by the wind turbines that have been installed in the Shire and they said they didn’t realise how much it would impact them.”

Planned for the west of Lethbridge and north of Teesdale, the project is proposed to deliver a maximum installed capacity of approximately 360 MW to power 265,000 homes.

The action group have been holding their own meetings throughout the week and Ms McKendry said they’ll continue to build their campaign.

“We’re putting together a plan to work together with the same goal and are figuring out which departments to approach,” she said.

“We’ll hit all levels, federal, local, state, and bring in the Aboriginal communities of Ballarat and Geelong. We’re also setting up a petition for people.

“We want to at least push this back from the townships.”