FLYERS Creek residents have welcomed recommendations from a Senate committee that urge the federal government to begin investigating the health implications of wind farms.
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A group of residents in the Flyers Creek Wind Turbine Awareness Group spoke with the Central Western Daily in March.
They voiced their concerns about the impact a proposed $200 million wind farm in the area could have on their health and quality of life.
This includes excessive noise, vibration, a flicker effect and infrasound issues.
The Senate’s recommendation is a dramatic win for groups such as the Flyers Creek residents who have pushed for further investigations into wind farm noise levels and health impacts.
A large section of the Senate report calls for an independent panel to take complaints from residents and for tougher legislation on noise.
It also calls for a minimum distance between wind farms and homes to be set.
Currently, there are no restrictions on how close a wind farm can be built to a dwelling.
The group has told the CWD it would like to see the state government follow South Australia and Victoria’s lead of implementing a two kilometre residential setback for wind turbines.
This move had been outlined by the NSW Legislative Council in 2009.
Residents are pleased to hear that their concerns haven’t fallen upon deaf ears.
“Most definitely, we are pleased to see it’s going ahead,” Flyers Creek resident Di Colman said.
The proposed Infigen Energy wind farm at Flyers Creek would see the construction of more than 40 wind turbines, each 150 metres tall.
By comparison, the Blayney wind farm has 15 turbines that stand 45 metres tall.
The residents, who say they are in favour of green energy solutions, want to see the state government put the development on hold until further research is carried out on wind farms and their health impacts.
The 46 proposed turbines will lie within a two-kilometre radius of 36 homes.
Only eight of these dwellings belong to wind farmers who have agreed to the construction of turbines.
The wind farm is expected to create around 50 construction jobs and three full time operation jobs.
A spokesperson from Infigen Energy was unavailable to comment on the recommendations.
erin.somerville@ruralpress.com
