Oxley Solar Farm

I object to the proposed solar farm development because of:
• The significant loss of amenity value for local and prospective residents and tourists to Armidale.
• Significant environmental risks.
• Significant cumulative impact of several large solar farms within the area.

Attached.

I do not support this project because the proposed site is totally inappropriate given the potentially large and negative social and environmental impacts.

I object to this project due to the aesthetic nature of the solar panels and the location in which they have been allocated. The land area surrounding the Oxley region is not only high quality farming land but also beautiful national park, with a well established top soil profile. Based on my knowledge of the project, I believe the surrounding national park and The Blue Hole recreational area will possibly be affected by the erosion and siltation from the project. I also believe that there will be a visual impact on the ‘Therelfall Walking Track’ as the utility solar farm will be partially visible from this track.

I would like to make an objection to the proposed Oxley Solar Farm. The impacts on the community are not all positive. I have spent 4 years at UNE and on a regular basis would take visitors to The Blue Hole Picnic Area, located at the entry to Oxley Wild Rivers National Park. As the EIS makes mention to the fact that there is potential for views of the proposed utility scale solar farm from this location. This is also a well-known part of the Oxley Wild Rivers National Park- World Heritage listed Gondwana Rainforest. Part of our Australian heritage.

It is a pristine, dry rainforest, with extensive wilderness areas, dramatic gorges and wild and scenic rivers. The glare and glint received, at times from the proposed Oxley Solar Farm would be very unpleasant and detract from the World Heritage listed Gondwana Rainforest.
Whilst I have viewed the application and have seen that some measures have been taken to mitigate the views, many of the panels would still be visible on some of the bush walking tracks i.e. ‘Therelfall Walking Track’. These tracks are enjoyed by many tourists to the area, some of these tourists in turn help sustain the Armidale economy.

As a regular visitor I would hate to see the Blue Hole Recreational Area silted up, a result of erosion, such has occurred in the Rocky River Area near Uralla due to goldmining in the 1800’s. This would be problematic as not only could this eroded soil/silt from the steep country housing solar panels potentially clog up the river system but it could also impact on plant and animal biodiversity and destroy animal habitats and endangered species ecosystems, which have been found in the area.

My biggest objection is that there will be an industrial/utility scale so farm bordering a world heritage site and any degradation to this would be devastating for all.

I object to the Oxley Solar Farm SSD10346
The Oxley Solar Farm will drastically change the character of the landscape and its visual amenity. The depiction in the EIS is misleading, the images misrepresent the impact and should be disregarded. The project will be very visible to both visitors going to the World Heritage listed Oxley Rivers National Park and to the long established community of the Castledoyle region. Because another already approved Solar Farm (Stringybark Solar Farm) is adjacent to this proposed solar farm there will be significant negative cumulative impact which needs to be considered. The solar farm will absolutely decrease the aesthetic quality of the region and decrease the livability of all the properties in the area.
The Oxley Solar Farm has a real potential to damage sensitive plant and animal biodiversity. There is the real potential to harm the platypus, fish and other aquatic populations in the Gara River and needs to be considered. Weather events (which are expected to become more frequent and extreme with global warming) such as bush fires (like those in our region 16 months ago), extreme hail events (such as those that affected Armidale in 2000 and 2006) or a catastrophic wind storm (such as the one that affected the nearby Walcha region in Dec 2018) would all damage or destroy the solar panels. Solar panels contain toxins and heavy metals, which would irreversibly harm the land and river system. Contaminating this river which flows into the World Heritage listed Oxley Rivers National Park then into the MacLeay River and must be prevented. The exclusion fences around the Solar farm will also impede the natural movement of the native animals in and out of the park and through the landscape. The Oxley Rivers National Park was identified as being an important area to protect, which is why it was set aside for all Australians to enjoy as a national park. It was developed to foster nature conservation, cultural heritage and tourism. All these purposes will be negatively impacted with a large commercial solar farm directly beside the park.
The community consultation has been very poor for this project. The most significantly affected residents have had little or no contact with the developers. The ‘so called’ community consultation events have very poorly advertised and cannot be trusted as an indicator of the objection and concern for this project.

I wish to make an objection to the proposed Oxley Solar Development. I am not happy with the development proceeding on the corner block of the Silverton and Gara Road. This is way too close to my residence and I am concerned about the lack of consultation regarding adequate screening. I walk along the Silverton Road on a regular basis and do not want to be exposed to such a utility sized solar farm in a rural setting, that I have chosen to reside in.
I am also concerned at how close our residency is to the Array Blocks 25 and 28 proposed for this corner block. There has been no mention made to the effect such a utility scale, solar farm could have on human health aside from the air quality mentioned on page 274 of the EIS. Due to the scale of this utility solar farm it should not proceed until we have the knowledge and the required research has been undertaken with regards to the impact on human health, especially those who are in close residency.

I present this objection to the development in the strongest possible terms based on 65 plus years observation of soil behaviour following disturbance in light, fragile soils over a large portion of the New England Tablelands of NSW.

I do not accept that it is possible to safeguard these soils from erosion when disturbed on a large scale such as that proposed by the development of the Oxley Solar Farm or when a catastrophic rainfall even occurs.

The proposed sites undulating nature predisposes it to extreme runoff in heavy rainfall conditions when the soil has little or no vegetation to control it. Shading beneath the panels will severely reduce plant vigour and leave the soil structure weak and vulnerable. Evidence of the risk to soil stability is borne out by the relatively recent event which occurred at the waste management facility then being constructed by Armidale Regional Council on Waterfall Way. Following torrential rainfall at the site a clay slug made its way down hill into the Gara River and travelled several kilometres downstream. This should serve as a stern warning to any person or instrumentally determining sanction or otherwise of a project infinitely larger and adjacent to Oxley Wild Rivers National Park- World Heritage listed Gondwana Rainforest.

The day will come when the legacy of an approval will haunt locals and all levels of government alike and no one will have the will or resources to undertake meaningful restoration of the soils and waterways as a result of increased erosion occurring as a result of the installation of a large scale solar farm such as Oxley Solar Farm.

I have inspected old gold and tin mining sites in the region in a professional capacity and have seen first-hand the lasting damage done in similar soil types.

A valid case could not be made by any responsible authority in support of this proposal in such an environmentally sensitive area as The Blue Hole Recreation Area and Oxley Wild Rivers National Park- World Heritage listed Gondwana Rainforest.

It would defy contemporary evidence and show utter contempt for long term conservation values that our community upholds. It would make a mockery of sustainability and conservation values espoused by all levels of government and their agencies. Left in its current state, this land would continue to sustain agricultural production for generations to come.

The suggestion in the proposal implies that due to the slope that the land cannot sustain soil disturbance-eg. cropping. However, the ongoing management of such an industrial site will inevitably lead to soil disturbance. (Appendix E Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment p.8) The landscape, is in actual fact very well-managed, typical of vast swathes of New England country, carrying an abundance of native and introduced pasture species which binds and protects these ancient, fragile soils.

I suspect the environmental assessments of the proposed project area were calculated to mislead, being carried out at a time such as the recent severe drought when large tracts of eastern Australia were possibly in their most compromised condition since European Settlement. This extreme event does not represent what can confidently be regarded as normal pasture conditions in this highly favoured rainfall region of Australia.

At the termination of the life of this facility the same situation will exist as at other abandoned sites of human activity conducted in the name of short term expediency and self-interest. Woods Reef Mine at Barraba is an inconvenient truth showcasing complete abandonment both in restoration obligation of companies and government will to enforce it.

The Howell Mine near Tingha is still leaching nasties into Copeton Dam a major site of recreational and irrigation activities long after its closure. A sand slug is still working its way down into the Gwydir River from gold mining activities in the 1800’s. I have seen each of these examples personally and have no wish to see it replicated, in time, so close to the Cathedral City of Armidale known internationally as a centre of culture, learning and natural beauty.

The risk of highly toxic waste escaping from solar panels following a hail storm and general degradation is a distinct possibility and should send a bone shilling shudder through all communities situated downstream with multiple dependencies on a supply of clean uncontaminated water.

I see the day coming, when the facility, no longer viable, abandoned, left to deteriorate would be the point of becoming waste land; adversely impacting future generations and productivity of the land.

I will be advocating for detailed benchmarking photography to track environmental degradation of the Oxley Wild Rivers National Park- World Heritage listed Gondwana Rainforest in the event of wet weather events.

The change in land use would be almost entirely irreversible and have lasting economic, social and political consequences.

My objections are contained within the attached document

Objection to Oxley Solar Farm-SSD No 10346

I am objecting to the application submitted by Oxley Solar Farm-SSD No 10346 to build a 300MW solar factory with up to 50MW of battery storage and associated infrastructure which will be an irresponsibly placed, environmental disaster and an eyesore in a prime tourist destination in the New England.

In reference to the NSW Government Regional Plan to 2036 (New England and North West).

Primary Goal 1. “A strong and dynamic regional economy”.
Direction 3: “Protect and enhance productive agricultural land”.

The area, for the proposed industrial solar plant, is viable agricultural land. This would be directly in opposition to your stated goals, listed above, to allow the industrial solar plant to be established in the area as stated in their application. The establishment of the industrial solar plant also contradicts their goals or vision for the future. How does an industrial solar plant “protect and enhance productive agricultural lands” ?

Primary Goal 4. “Attractive and thriving communities”.
Direction 21: “Deliver well planned rural residential housing”.

The Armidale region has significant natural assets – Oxley Wild Rivers, New England National Parks, the Blue Hole and Wollomombi Falls to name a few. The establishment of an industrial solar plant is inconsistent with the local character of Armidale and its heritage features which are highly valued by the community and promoted in their tourism campaigns. As a regular visitor to Armidale, and in particular the Castledoyle area where my sister lives, I enjoy spending time bushwalking, bird watching, and having picnics in these areas. An industrial solar plant would certainly have a hugely detrimental impact on the recreational and environmental value of the Blue Hole, Oxley Wild Rivers National Park and the surrounding areas.

The proposed site is too close to an established rural residential area and will limit the ability for future rural residential development.

The industrial solar plant will have an adverse visual impact, including glare and reflection, on adjoining property owners and the rural landscape, in particular, severely impacting the lives of residents within close proximity. The development will also have a negative impact on property values.

I support the concept of renewable energy. However, industrial solar plants should be built in a suitable location on near flat land, not near an established rural residential area. Industrial solar plants should be built on non-productive agricultural land and in sparsely settled areas and thus have a minimal impact on the community and the environment.

I strongly disagree with the placement of the proposed industrial solar plant which will be detrimental to the immediate community.

I have made no political donations.

OXLEY SOLAR FARM SUBMISSION
TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN
I wish to lodge my objection to the approval of the Oxley Solar Farm Proposal.
1 It is inappropriate that an extension to the exhibition period not be granted in that the time frame encompassed the Easter public holiday period and a school holiday period which affects the capacity of ordinary people to commit to the detailed consideration of the submission.
2 Biodiversity studies are undertaken in a period of drought and emergence from drought which therefore cannot and does not give a true indication of the species to be found in normal periods following recovery. Studies undertaken in this highly sensitive drought and drought recovery period are indicative of a stressed biological community and a recovering biological community. They thereby fail to be indicative of a ‘normal’ population and cannot be used to describe the normal range of species, either threatened or non-threatened.
3. The Armidale Regional Council has been a dysfunctional body, thrown into administration for a second time since 2016. The absence of a functioning Council thereby denies a natural justice for the impacted community to work together with their elected representatives. Those representatives are now reinstated as ‘chair warmers’ having no real decision making capacity, which leaves effective decisions to the employed staff whose perspective of the values of community are quite different to that of the residents and ratepayers.
I therefore object to the approval of this submission in its current form.

Yours sincerely
Beth White

I Jenny Walsh strongly object to the proposed Oxley Solar farm. Please consider my submission carefully. Please view my submission in the attached documents.

I strongly object to the proposed Oxley Solar farm. Please view my submission carefully. The submission is attached.

I am objecting to the Oxley Solar Farm proposal. Please view my submission in the attachments.

Please accept my objection to the Oxley Solar Farm development. I have attached the submission below. Please look at it carefully.

see attachment

This solar farm has has very little consultation with the local landholders who are not hosts. The visual amenity will be horrendous to locals and those visiting the nearby national parks. The new england area is a tourist attraction and a lot of that relies on scenic landscapes and long distance vistas of forests and open woodlands The infrastructure will permanently damage the soil structure and nearby waterways. 3/4 million solar panels will require a lot of cleaning using precious water and having run off polluting water ways. This development will ruin prime agricultural land and is totally unsuitable area for this sort of development. Loss of native trees and threatened flora and fauna are major concerns. Please stop this developments going ahead.

Attached

This project has not had the required amount of consultation with local landholders. Solar project should not be undertaken in the New England Region, This is a high production agricultural area.

I have grave concerns about the prosed development of Oxley Solar Farm. The New England is well known for its fertile soils and production of fine wool and beef. If the Solar Farm is poorly managed this prime agricultural land could become sterile. The construction phase would cause major distribution to the soil structure and impact the habitats of many soil building microorganisms. The risk of erosion in a high rainfall even is also very concerning as it could potentially fill the Blue Hole with silt.