Bowmans Creek Wind Farm

Refer Attachment

Wind farms are a blight on our landscape. I had the misfortune to come upon a wind farm between Wellington and Mudgee. I was absolutely gobsmacked to see these horrendous poles, their tentacles of ugliness slowly spinning, staining the gentle genial hills along my journey. Added to that, the fact that after a small number of years the towers and fans are not recycled but buried underneath this wide brown land that we call our own. How is this environmentally friendly? How is this ecologically sound? And what about the energy expended to produce these monstrosities? Also I am willing to bet that the jobs created by these spinning octopuses are fleeting and short term? Take your wind farm somewhere else, preferably Mars!

I object to this project due to the following concerns:
Visual Impact- 70 turbines at 220m high sitting on 300m high ridgelines and are visible for up to 40kms
Property Value- the value of the properties in the surrounding areas will decline, as has been the case in other areas where these wind farms have been built.
Construction Phase- No local companies are proposed to be used for this project.

The Hunter Valley has hosted the coal mines for many years now , and in doing so has contributed enormously to the betterment of NSW due to the royalties collected by State Treasury ; however , the Valley has paid , and is still paying , a very heavy price due to the disfigurement of the scenic rural amenity across a large area , and the many residents impacted adversely by these mining operations . The Valley and it's residents have been and still are doing a disproportionate percentage of the "heavy lifting" for the benefit of NSW , and it is grossly unfair to burden the Valley and it's residents further by the establishment of windfarms .
Apart from the employment opportunities created during the construction period , the proponent has acknowledged that only FIFTEEN employees will be required for the ongoing operation , and when this revelation is displayed against the backdrop of the enormous tracts of land which will be transformed from what is mostly a scenic rural amenity , to what can be best described as an industrial precinct , it is truly unacceptable .
And an "industrial precinct" located in a rural area such as this , is what it will be no matter how much "dressing" is applied by the proponents ; ie , the massive size of these turbines together with the concreted areas , the sub-stations , the roads within the complex , the noise / infrasound , the overhead transmission towers and cables etc will have all of the ingredients for it to be deemed a very large industrial area , indeed , Federal Government Legislation allows these projects to be Local Council Rated as such .
One of my fears is that if this project is approved , it "will open the door" for further expansion of the "wind industry" in the Hunter Valley , given that the existence of the infrastructure constructed for this project will be used as leverage for the next proponent who comes along .
Added to our fears will be the ongoing threat of fires emanating from this windfarm in the fire season , due to it's upwind location from our area ; indeed , a large percentage of the wind which would drive these turbines blows from the westerly quadrant , which positions out farming property directly in the firing line (no pun intended) should a fire start .
The ownership of many of the farming properties (with their inherent quiet and scenic amenity) in the area , has remained with the original individual families since Federation , and no doubt this aspect is one of the reasons people choose to live here .
Much of this local area consists of hills and ridgelines which by their very nature , create natural AMPHITHEATRES which amplify sounds : indeed , these sounds travel vast distances , as opposed for example to the same sounds in residential areas with their own particular inherent background noise . And it's not just the audible sounds produced by the turbine blades themselves , but the low frequency infrasound / vibration which may well travel via the local underlying rock strata .
The proponents acknowledge that there will be much tree removal , not just on the project site , but along the various roads to be used to transport the turbine blades in particular , and this aspect along with the exemption they enjoy regarding the recent Koala habitat Legislation , would infer some hypocrisy on the part of the State Government if the project is approved .
There are so many reasons why this project should NOT proceed , and my concerns are among them .

My name is Anthony Parker of 829 Muscle creek road Muswellbrook 2333. I am writing to the department of major projects as I Object to the Bowmans creek Wind farm proposal Application SSD-10315. My reasons for objecting the project is as follows - I have been a member of the Muswellbrook and surrounding community for 34 years. I currently live in the muscle creek area where the proposed wind farm is allocated. I have viewed the Visual Impact assessment and my dwelling has not been identified in the assessment. My neighboring property's have been identified in the assessment being E17-3 & E17-5. My dwelling is located closer to the proposed turbines so I believe Epuron have not conducted this assessment correctly. My dwelling will have a full view of 7 turbines. I believe my dwelling is within 4km from the nearest turbine. My family and I brought our property in September 2020 as we need to escape the busy noisy town life. We spent all our savings and acquired a lot of financial debt to secure the property of our dreams to raise our family. A major part of our choice to move was to give the best for our children growing up in the beautiful Muscle creek area. Our son who is turning 10 in May was born with Optic Nerve Hypoplasia. He has also been diagnose with autism as well. His hearing sensors are very fragile. Some noises he loves and some he just cant bare. He cant see anything so noises is what he gauges off. We moved to muscle creek so he could enjoy the beautiful nature noises of the country. Hearing all the birds and other animals making noises puts a smile on his face. He also relies a lot on smell but sound is what directs him in life. We brought our property not knowing anything about the propose windfarm. Nothing was mentioned in our sale. Hearing the nature noises of the beautiful environment of muscle creek i believe is great for his mental health. Our son will most likely grow old with us. He wont be like our other children and get jobs and move out of home. He will be with us forever. I do not want my son growing up in muscle creek having to live with noises coming from the proposed wind farm. The muscle creek environment is great the way it is. The sounds of the Wedge tail eagles flying over out home and the trees moving from the wind passing down the valley. These are the noises my son use to put a image in his brain of what it is. Living out muscle creek for myself is defiantly what i enjoy after a stressful day at work. Looking at the prestige mountains and gumtrees all the way up the valley is certainly great for my mental heath. The visual impact of looking directly at 7 Turbines would be destressing for me. Please do not allow the proposed Bowmans creek wind farm to go ahead. The Environment needs to be left how it is and our Fauna and flora should not have to be impacted for this proposed Project. I Strongly Object

Thankyou
Regards
Anthony Parker.

I think it's disgraceful that a windfarm/s could be established in the Hunter Valley considering the way the Valley has already been severely scarred by mining . And that's only one aspect on which this project should NOT be approved ; other worrying issues include :
(1) : the very likelihood of infrasound disturbing the normal quiet rural area ;
(2) : some people may consider the windfarm to be something to admire , but after the "novelty " of seeing these monstrosities has passed , there remains an industrial landscape which is not what the locals want to look at or live near . The local Councils may very well REZONE these areas to "Industrial" . After all , if we wanted to live near an industrial precinct , we'd already be there ;
(3) : It's the sheer size of these turbines which present such an overbearing presence ;
(4) : the elevated risk of grass/bush fires emanating from the facility ;
(5) : sound travels vast distances in these types of rural settings due to the nature of the topography and the normally quiet ambience ; many areas present themselves as natural amphitheatres which would amplify the sounds emanating from the windfarms ;
(6) : rural Australia is already carrying the burden of restrictive farming options due to CO2 reductions , and now the "bureaucracy" seem willing to destroy the rural ambience further for rural dwellers by the encroachment of industry .
Windfarms don't fit this area and are NOT wanted .

I have only recently brought my property & this is my first home & I was planning to to have a family here but I feel that this project has ruined my dreams. The visual impact will be enormously ugly. The noise pollution will significantly disrupt my current & future breeding programs for beef Angus cattle. The cattle will be at unease with the noise making them unlikely to breed & this will significantly reduce my future income. I do not support the wind farm & if this project goes ahead I would like to be brought out.

I'm very concerned about the visual impact & the value of our families properties at Muscle Creek. I'm also very concerned about the noise impact as the noise will travel even into properties in town let alone the significant impact that that it will have on farming properties. I have been born & breed here and concerned about the future of Muswellbrook. I am deeply concerned.

My sister and brother in law have just spent a small fortune securing their home and land at Muscle Creek. A place that they hope will be their forever home, a place to raise their children with space to roam and play in nature. A place surrounded by trees where they can forget that they are only a short distance from town. Should this project go ahead, instead of viewing the beautiful hills and trees from the kitchen window and verandah they will have front row seats to the wind turbines. This project will have a detrimental effect on our beautiful valley that is already being raped by the coal mines, it should not go ahead under any circumstances.

Subsidence Advisory NSW advises that the properties in this proposal are not within a proclaimed Mine Subsidence District, and are not undermined.

Subsidence Advisory NSW approval/comment is not required for this application.

I moved back to the area 5 years ago to take over the reins of the family farm , which currently , is not in an area affected by wind farms . To now face the prospect of wind farms in the Hunter Valley to ruin the natural scenic amenity is grossly unfair .
The negative impacts of wind turbines in the Valley , which include , but not limited to are : infrasound / elevated fire risk /the very nature of wind farms being an industrial precinct being situated in a quiet and peaceful rural setting , far out-way any positives from this proposed development .
The local area by it's very nature of hills and valleys provides a perfect amplifying effect for sounds to travel vast distances .
The Hunter Valley has been scarred enough already by mining , without degrading the rural amenity further by approving the Bowmans Creek Wind Farm .

Please see the attached submission

I hereby submit my objection to the proposed Bowman Creek Wind Farm due to the following reasons:
- obstruction of my view from my property which is rural and natural
- the height of the towers and lighting
- the impact on the wildlife and farming animals
- destruction of the vegetation
- noise of the turbines
- within a 20 km range of an airport located in Scone

I am objecting to the Bowman Creek Wind Farm, being that i had bought this property over 11 years ago as a lifestyle change NOT to have to look at Extremely Huge Wind Turbines every day and also to have to put up with the noise, they will Devalue our property,destroy our Flora and Fauna and destroy our community,
The people that make these decisions to put these gastly things up DO NOT live any where near our area or town , so really could care less, We are a Coal mining town, so lets leave it at that, Also Epuron erected Test towers without a council DA???, They have been proven to be a very unreliable source of power and once these companies are finished with them they just leave them to rot in the ground, take a look at all the abandoned ones in the USA, If the Government is so invested in these, Find somewhere else to put them like a state forest etc where they will not impact on peoples lives and Income

I am objecting to the Bowman Creek Wind Farm, being that i had bought this property over 11 years ago as a lifestyle change NOT to have to look at Extremely Huge Wind Turbines every day and also to have to put up with the noise, they will Devalue our property,destroy our Flora and Fauna and destroy our community,
The people that make these decisions to put these gastly things up DO NOT live any where near our area or town , so really could care less, We are a Coal mining town, so lets leave it at that, Also Epuron erected Test towers without a council DA???, They have been proven to be a very unreliable source of power and once these companies are finished with them they just leave them to rot in the ground, take a look at all the abandoned ones in the USA, If the Government is so invested in these, Find somewhere else to put them like a state forest etc where they will not impact on peoples lives and Income

I am submitting my objection to the proposed Bowmans Creek Wind Farm due to the following reasons.
- This is a natural regional area and the proposed wind farms would impact the majority of people in the region either by noise or destroying the view.
- The impact on the local wildlife particularly the many birds - eagles, hawks, black cockatoos, king parrots, bower birds etc
- The impact of the farming animals of the constant whirring of the turbines
- People who live in this are do so for the beauty of the bush and the quietness.

I was born and raised in muscle creek and intend to retire on my fourth generation family farm.
I have seen while passing through other wind farm areas with dis pleasure the way that the turbines overwhelm the beauty, tranquillity and peacefulness of the agricultural /rural landscapes and have thought to myself how lucky we are to not have such eyesores in our little piece of heaven here in Muscle Creek. Even the constant flashing red beacons for air craft safety, will even of a night, along with the constant droning noise, ruin the atmosphere and view of what is currently a beautiful place to live.
I strongly oppose the plan to build wind turbines in the immediate vicinity because of the risks involving the starting of bush fires in the dry summers we have and the difficulty in access to the areas directly below the towers to prevent early spread of fires brought on by failures. It only takes one fire to get away and burn down a house with potential fatalities.
I also believe that the constant droning noise being developed so high will be impossible to avoid and have heard evidence that it drives people away from their homes and when they try to sell their properties they find that the value of the property has plummeted !
I don't believe that the few jobs to be generated from the project and ongoing maintenance jobs by contractors, (that will be brought in from outside area's anyway !!) warrants the pain and suffering and anguish that will follow with the development of this project.

This proposed windfarm will create a huge impact to the surrounding areas, including my parents’ home. 70 turbines, which themselves are 220 meters tall, will be installed on a 300-meter-high ridgeline and be visible up to 40 kms away. This visual impact will not only be detrimental to the wellbeing of the locals in the area but, also their enjoyment of their properties and farmland they have worked hard to develop and maintain. Furthermore, wind turbines are never silent, they make a constant noise which will disturb sleep, especially with large windfarms, this will lead to mental health and other health issues. All these factors will ultimately result in a considerable decrease in property value and significate hardships with the sale of properties in the future. Finally, another major negative impact of windfarms is the harm they bring to the local environment, my parents regularly see many different species of birds and wildlife on their property and they have been told, the wind turbines will kill animals, there is no denying that fact, every year that the turbines are in operation, animals will be killed.

Dear Sir,
Why should the poor Hunter Valley, with its rich and ongoing agricultural heritage and production be submitted to another negative impact on our amenity, and property value?. We are home of beef production, dairying, vineyards, racehorse bloodstock etc?
Our prime beef property Greylands adjoins mines country, and vibrations, is near Bayswater and Liddell power stations, and stack cloud,is facing a gas pipeline passing through, with land scarring, and now also a large and probably expandable wind tower field, a visual eyesore and with uncertain effects of infrasound.We already have to bear the brunt and land scars of mines, power stations, transmission lines, now a probable gas pipeline.
Wind turbines will be another expensive unsightly inefficient white elephant, needing to be subsidised by us the taxpayer. We and our little community are strongly against this proposed project.

I hereby declare that I object to the Bowmans Creek Windfarm proposal ID no.SSD 10315

Our property will be directly impacted by the proposed windfarm development from three directions, north, east and west. The property is in a quiet rural residential area, with beautiful rolling hills all around and amazing wildlife and birdlife, including a rare white sea eagle which makes its home in trees on our property during early spring each year.

If the proposed Bowmans Creek Windfarm development goes ahead our lives will be forever changed in a negative way. I am concerned about the impact of the following issues
Visual Impacts
o A lack of information regarding any mitigation measures taken to deal with the visual impacts.
o Photo montages provided to us by the proponent are not accurate as they are not to scale. A disclaimer written on the montage indicates this to be the case.
o No negotiations with us regarding the siting of the turbines close to our property. We are located approximately 2.5-3 kms from the nearest turbines.
o No neighbouring agreement has been discussed, offered or forwarded to us for consideration.
o No indication from the proponent if there will be 24-hour flashing navigation lights installed on the Turbine towers.

Noise Impacts
o We will be exposed to noise impacts from turbines from the north, east and west. There will be no respite as wind from any direction will carry the noise to our property.
o No accurate indication of the noise levels has been provided to us by the proponent
o No mitigation measures have been discussed with us in regards to noise impacts.

Heavy Vehicle access/Dust
o Hebden Road has been designated as the only heavy vehicle access road for the development. Installation and ongoing maintenance of the approximately 60 Turbines, with hundreds of heavy truck movements making the hazardous and unsafe.
o Construction of some 60km of unsealed gravel access tracks, clearing of vegetation and preparation of Turbine pads will create dust during construction, and ongoing dust issues during the life of the windfarm when wind conditions are present or maintenance vehicle movements occur.
o Dust will be created during construction of electrical substations, overhead and underground power lines to connect the project to the grid
o Dust will be created from blasting on ridgelines
o Truck movements for transport of earthmoving equipment for construction, Turbine housings and blades, cartage of gravel for access roads, cartage of water to the concrete batching plants for production of concrete will make the road hazardous to local traffic and school bus movements, and cause major inconvenience and delays for all local residents.

Environmental Issues
o Damage to the environment from clearing of vegetation to facilitate construction of roads and Turbine pads
o Pollution of local creeks and waterways from runoff after vegetation has been cleared, which will impact farm water supply quality
o Increased bush fire risk due to Turbine fires, and restricted aerial water bombing capability in the area due to the huge Turbines
o Impacts of noise and dust to Ravensworth State Forest which is an important ecological community, Hillcrest Biodiversity offset area which is a commonwealth approved koala habitat, local properties where there have reported sightings of koalas, and local birdlife including rare wedge tailed eagles and sea eagles as mentioned above
o No information provided on the vibration impacts that blasting will have on our residence
o No plan in place to dismantle and recycle the Turbines at end of life, liability for this lies with the landowner who may not have the financial resources to dismantle the Turbines.

Transparency
o No transparency or oversight regarding landowner agreements. Property owners required to sign confidentiality agreements and not discuss with community members.
o No transparency or oversight regarding neighbour agreements. Property owners required to sign confidentiality agreements and not discuss with community members.
o Wind data was gathered from a monitoring tower constructed without Council Development Application (DA) approval. This data is now being used to compile the recently released Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
o No representation from local council at community meetings to address resident concerns
o No information released by Councils to the general public

Wind farms have proven to be a fluctuating and unreliable source of energy, dependent on favourable wind conditions to generate electricity, they present a threat to native wildlife, cause environmental impacts through deforestation of nearby land to set up the wind farm, have the potential to start bush fires, negatively impact surrounding property values and cause significant ongoing long term visual and noise impacts to nearby residents.

Plans we had to build on the property to secure our long-term future and have a safe place for retirement are now in question. Many issues remain unclear and unresolved. We now face the uncertainty and potential visual, noise, dust and traffic impacts from this proposal.