Paling Yards Wind Farm

I have a number of concerns - impact on local flora, fauna and waterways - fire risk and impact on the ability to actively fight fires because of the infastructure. The money for these monstrous turbines is going overseas. They are not energy efficient and will not reduce the price of power, in fact the cost of putting them in is exorbitant and will be funded by the Australian Tax Payer. The massive blades are toxic and have to be buried in huge landfill sites once they are decommissioned.

To whom it concerns
I wish to record my objection to the proposed Paling Yards Wind Farm on the basis of the following:
1. the lack of community consultation by government and council elected representatives in relation to (i) the community's views regarding the proposed development, and (ii) our views more broadly on any wider and longer-term plans to repurpose prime agricultural land, state forests and other resources in the region for renewable energy projects
2. The obfuscation by elected representatives who have not not fully, frankly and transparently disclosed their interests, positions and/or representations made on behalf of constituents in relation to the proposed development, or the wider plans to repurpose land as detailed above
3. The potential negative impacts on the environment, namely the unique flora and fauna of the region. Bird strikes involving eagles, hawks, black cockatoos and other rare, endangered or "at risk" native birds are of particular concern
4. safety hazards as they relate to bush fires and aerial and ground-based fire-fighting in the vicinity of the proposed project
5. the negative impact on people living and working in the region, in particular the impact on the health and wellbeing of people whose homes or livelihoods may be directly impacted by the proposed development
6. the negative impact on real estate prices for properties in the vicinity of the project
7. The negative impact on tourism and businesses that derive income from tourists
8. The impact on safety, in particular as it relates to roads and traffic, specifically the movement of heavy vehicles on local roads
9. The involvement of non-Australian entities in manufacturing, developing, operating and maintaining the proposed development resulting in the transfer of Australian taxpayer funding to foreign interests
10. negative impacts on the unique scenic values of the region
11. negative impacts on the historic and cultural values of the region
12. the long-term sustainability of wind as a renewable energy resource, in particular the lifespan, output, and lack of options for recycling of wind farm infrastructure
13. the lack of adequate"make good" provisions requiring operators to return land to original condition

native wildlife already are killed on our local roads, this will further impact this. The impact on transporting the equipment - you can not cut back the O'Connell Avenue trees, that would be disrespectful and is a cornerstone of our community and what we are know for. The school buses have an interchange at the O'Connell Hotel - each morning and afternoon this is a busy pick up and drop off point that the local community use which is essential. You could not park large equipment here! This would also affect the Hotel which has just re-opened and is vital for mental health and meeting point for community members. And further, these so could GREEN energies are NOT in fact Green at all and should be positioned away from all communities - and VITAL usable farming land. There are plenty of other areas in the outback where farming land is not as productive. Australia only has a small amount of farming land and with increasing our population, why would you ruin arable fertile farming land when we have so little. Wrong place, it's as simple as that! Increasing truck traffic on our local roads impacts us all too, school buses and parents and workers use these road everyday. Increasing large truck traffic - when we already have so many trucks now it is an accident waiting to happen and puts us at risk when doing our daily commute.

These wind farms will ruin our local environment and effect tourism. The regional roads have been neglected for years yet are now willing to make major changes to accommodate transport to build a technology that has short life, expensive and not constructed of recyclable materials. Noise pollution and effects on native wildlife are also concerning. I'm sure if this was proposed along the northern beaches if NSW there would be uproar. The same goes for our com

I strongly object to this project.

A major concern I have is the potential impact this project will have on the O'Connell Memorial Avenue of Trees. The O'Connell Memorial Avenue is an ANZAC Memorial of 120 desert ash trees. This Memorial Avenue is of rare historical significance as it is one of the few remaining War Memorial Avenues in Rural NSW. This symbol of grandeur and honour is deeply significant to the O'Connell Community. The O'Connell Community will do everything to stop any damage/pruning/chopping of these trees.

The visual impact of this project in Oberon district which is renowned for its stunning landscape and natural wonders will be massive.

The constant flow of slow moving trucks over the two year construction period will be a major inconvenience to all road users in the district as will the wear and tear on local roads.

There are so many negative points to this proposal for Oberon, (desecrating the visual environment; fall in house & land prices in the vicinity; the impact on arial fire fighting, farming practices and wildlife) with the only short term positive of increased dollars in the district during the construction stage.

Our family has been living in the district for around 100 years. The Oberon/Abercrombie region is an important agricultural and tourism area and these wind tower factories have documented detrimental effects to animal live and eco systems as well as human mental health after destroying beautiful landscapes of which people have either worked for generations for or left the city’s to be apart of. Don’t bring your concrete and steel mega structures to our beautiful region. Put them on Bondi beach if the city people want renewable energy. OR choose remote desolate areas where people don’t live and work and rely on tourism and agriculture. Not that we can’t aim for renewables, just don’t destroy our region for someone else’s gain (namely a foreign company).

Too expensive, unreliable, not recyclable, a blight on the landscape and an environmental disaster.

My reasons are:
Inadequacy of Statement of Environmental Effects to consider impact of proposal on native flora and fauna and on the visual landscape.
adverse impact on native birds especially raptors
adverse impact on the local tourist industry
adverse impact on local roads and traffic flow
failure to properly consider impact of development on local waterways
conflict of interest in considering a proposed profit making enterprise by a government agency ie Forestry Corporation
concern that the manufacture of these structures involves an enormous amount of resources/material which will become rubbish and an eyesore when they becomes obsolete or need to be replaced

I strongly object to this project for the following reasons:
1. This planned wind farm will destroy our local community on every level - it will set landowner against landowner and neighbourhood against neighbourhood.
2. Historical sites and colonial heritage will be altered, destroyed or otherwise unrecognizable due to the massive roadwork changes needed and the installation of these massive wind turbines on a scenic and historical ridgeline.
3. These turbines will cause unknown damage to the local flora and fauna - especially birds such as the wedgetail eagles and lyre birds that are seen most days in the area the turbines will be places.
4. The noise generated by these turbines which at times will exceed regulated levels as well as the shadow strobing from the blades will cause major medical issues with residents that have neurodivergent issues living in the immediate area.
5. The Abercrombie Road between the Abercrombie River and Shooters Hill Road is the only access route into either Goulburn or Oberon for all residents living in the Paling Yards and Porters Retreat areas as well as one of the alternate routes for those living in Jerrong and Black Springs. The excessive amount of heavy truck traffic and road works required for this project will cause immense issues for these people as well as impact any access to emergency services.
6. The traffic from the Port of Newcastle to the Paling Yards site exposes a major biosecurity risk to all the landowners along that route as the trucks and freight as well as the people can be carrying serious bio hazards brought in by ships. This is as recently seen with the Verroa mite and the Foot and Mouth disease warnings we have had from the DPI.
7. Our community is no less important than any other community in NSW regardless of size or location and we expect nothing less than an independent review of this unwanted project!

I object to the fact that tax payer dollars need to be spent on road infrastructure to accommodate an unwanted organisation's development plans.
I object to Forestry Corporation cutting and/or removing ANZAC Memorial trees in O'Connell, planted to commemorate men who served in WW1.
I object to the disruption, noise and delays the roadworks will cause to locals trying to get to and from work.
I object to the traffic congestion that these massive trucks will have on our quiet country roads.
I object to the noise these trucks will create on their journey.
I object to the destruction of the beautiful views in our region that will be caused by the installation of wind towers from 240-285m high.
I object to the potential destruction of biodiversity in the areas where the windfarms will be located.

As a resident of Oberon I would like to object to the Paling Yards wind farm development.
This project will affect my day to day life adversely due to the roadworks that would have to be undertaken and the use of our roads for transportation of the parts for the towers. Some of these parts are huge and would greatly affect traffic. We as rate payers pay for the upkeep of our roads and the huge number of vehicles using our roads would put an added burden on us.
Many other issues also arise such as the impact on protected flora and fauna in our area, injury and death to bird life caused by the blades and also the noise generated by the towers. To say nothing of the visual impact of the towers.
The affects a fire would have on our region is also of concern as we would not be able to utilise aircraft to assist with any fire control in the area where there are towers, which could make it harder to control an outbreak.
Please decline the proposal and ask the developer to seek a more suitable location where the environmental impact can be controlled.

I am a resident of Oberon and as such the proposed wind farm project at Paling Yards is of concern to me for many reasons.
There will be negative impacts on our day to day lives, infrastructure and lifestyle, caused by major roadworks and the logistics of transporting the components of the towers. I would hate to think how long it would take us to travel from Bathurst to Oberon during the long construction period. This will greatly affect not only locals but those (especially timber workers) who travel to and from Oberon for work.
Tourism will be negatively affected both during and after construction due to traffic problems and the adverse visual effect of the towers on our area which is known for its pristine natural environment. This will also impact many local small businesses who depend on tourists to sustain their income.
Our area is also known to contain protected flora and fauna which could be impacted by the development. The biodiversity effects of the project and the noise generated by the towers are also of great concern.
Given that all of these concerns are worrying and should be sufficient to deny the proposal one of the major concerns to me is the fire threat caused by the development. It is well known that these towers often catch fire, however, they are to be installed in an area containing many forests and bushland. They could also be impacted by fires spreading into the area where they are constructed. It is extremely concerning to note that once towers are constructed the area then becomes a " No fly zone" so, aircraft cannot be used to help put out a fire. Protection of the area would be left to our local crews who may not have the capacity to control a fire which could quickly get out of hand in such an area. If this happens there would be significant chance of loss of property and/or lives. Fires can also severely affect our local timber industry if our pine forests are impacted.

In view of the above, please consider that Oberon is not a suitable environment for a wind farm project.

This project to put wind farms in pine forests is madness.
The turbines are not recyclable, they reap havoc on the bird life, they are noisy the transmission of the power is hugely inefficient and 50% of generated power is typically lost.
The road infrastructure to build the turbines is not there.
The risk of fire is huge and due to the proximity of the turbines there is no aerial firefighting allowed. Forestry’s plan of just let it burn is irresponsible to the people who live adjacent to the forests with potentially deadly outcomes
The proximity of the turbines means that there is aerial spraying allowed but most importantly no rescue helicopter access in the vicinity.
In an area with major housing shortage issues it’s construction period will greatly increase the problem
The turbines will be built offshore and the residents of NSW will be locked into multi bilion dollar contracts, and yes the Australian companies that tendered have been informed that they were unsuccessful.
They still don’t address the base load power issues and all that will happen is our power prices will sky rocket.
There is no benefit to the region, only more heavy traffic, higher rents, high risk of fire, damage to the wildlife, loss of food producing farmland and a hit to tourism.
The need for green power can easily be addressed by adoption of community based solar on all the roofs in Sydney. No need for turbines, transmission lines or risk of fire. Just the money that needs to be spent on the roads would cover lots of solar panels and batteries and eventually lead to cheaper power while we get our base load power requirements sorted.

Submission on behalf of Mr Angus McKibbon (uploaded by Jaclyn Burns):
I am greatly concerned about the damage that will be done to the War Memorial Avenue at O’Connell by the very large trucks with their very large wind turbine loads as they travel along the avenue. There simply is not enough room. Even if the trees are lopped, the lopping will have to be extreme and it will take the trees up to twenty years to recover. It is quite possible that some trees will be killed in this process.
My grandfather, Samuel McKibbin and neighbour Edmund Gornall were responsible for planting the avenue. My father, Colin, remembered helping with the planting whilst he attended O’Connell Public School. Their house is at the Northern end of the avenue and has four Desert Ash trees in the garden most likely left-overs after the planting.
So this avenue has significance to my family as well as being a War Memorial and being classified by the National Trust.
It also forms part of the overall historic precinct of O’Connell.
I request that another route be found for transporting the wind turbines.
Angus McKibbin

Please see attachment for my submission.

Personal Submission of Jaclyn Burns

The documents are detailed. Seems like a project genuinely aimed at helping Australia meet its climate target. I like that they're using an existing power line and not building new ones (not sure how I would feel in that case).

This submission is being submitted by Jaclyn Burns on behalf of Mr David Willis the author of the objection.

I’m against wind farms.

I wish to lodge an objection against the construction of the project known as “Paling Yards Wind Farm” on the following grounds:
I have friends in O’Connell and my husband and I have visited the area on numerous occasions and would like to express my concerns regarding the EIS transport plan of the blades and turbines and proposed pruning and possible removal of trees in the Avenue of Trees.
The Avenue of Desert Ash Trees was planted by the residents of O’Connell and is a memorial honouring the men and women from O’Connell and district that served during the First World War. The high branches of the century old Desert Ash Tree connect to form an arch resembling a cathedral and this symbol of grandeur is deeply significant to the community of O’Connell and district as there are sixty-six men and women of the area who enlisted, twelve of whom were killed in action. The Avenue is a cherished setting for the ANZAC Dawn Service and Remembrance Day Commemorations that are held each year
The historic settlement of O’Connell was classified as a conservation area by the National Trust of Australia (NSW) in 1974 and in 1978 was registered on the Heritage Register of the National Trust and as well protected by its listing as a heritage item on the Oberon Council Local Environment Plan.
The O’Connell Memorial Avenue links several groups of historic buildings within the heritage area and the EIS does not make any reference to the heritage of O’Connell and surrounds and I do find this alarming considering the heritage and significance of O’Connell and the development of Bathurst, the first inland city and one of Governor Lachlan Macquarie’s many achievements that marked the beginning of the spread of European settlement west of the Blue Mountains.
The Heritage requirements, I do not believe, have been fulfilled in the EIS.