Majority support wind farms

Moyne Gazette
Thursday 16/8/2007 Page: 3

There have been only three public submissions relating to the Ryan Corner wind farm.
MOST people were in favour of wind farms but those against them were sometimes very vocal in their opposition, a hearing on a wind farm proposed for Ryan Corner near Port Fairy has been told. TME Australia consultant Alan Wyatt made the statement in response to a query from a member of the independent panel hearing TME Australia's application to install 68 wind turbines at Ryan Corner.

The panel member had asked why there were vastly different reactions from the public to various wind farm proposals. The Ryan Corner proposal has so far provoked little public opposition with only three public submissions to the panel received so far. None of those who made written submissions asked to speak at the panel hearings in Port Fairy last week on the proposal. The panel member said the public's reaction to the proposed Ryan Corner wind farm was different to that of the Bald Hills wind farm in south Gippsland. That proposal attracted about 1500 objections.

TME has told the panel that studies involving at least 300 people had looked at their perception of wind farms and found most were in favour. Mr Wyatt said those who did not like wind farms were sometimes very antagonistic and their strong opposition was not a true measure of the community's feelings about a wind farm proposal. "Studies of at least 300 people are far more reliable than four of five or 10 people that might be antagonistic," Mr Wyatt said.

TME had told the panel hearing its perception studies found people believed wind farms were in "man modified landscapes that can absorb change". TME also told the panel the Ryan Corner wind farm would have a low visual impact on the Princes Highway. It said windbreaks, plantations, roadside vegetation and stony rises would filter the views of the wind turbines so the wind farm would have limited visual impact on surrounding towns such as Port Fairy, Yambuk and Orford. The major visual impact would be on houses adjacent to the wind farm. The panel will make a recommendation to the State Government that will decide whether to approve the wind farm.