Tuesday 2/10/2007 Page: 7
MOST people in the Lal Lal, Elaine and Yendon areas support wind farms, a study conducted for WestWind Energy has shown. But a residents group has questioned the research, describing it as "totally flawed".The independent study, which was done by environmental consultants ERM in November 2006, showed 80 per cent of people surveyed said they would be happy to see a wind farm built on farmland near their home. More than 90 per cent of people also said they would be happy to see more wind farms built in Australia. WestWind Energy plans to lodge an application in December to build between 60 and 70 turbines in the Lal Lal area. The company has already received approval to build 64 turbines near Mt Mercer.
The Lal Lal and Elaine Landscape Action Group has collected 1300 signatures opposing the Lal Lal project in a petition that will be presented to State Parliament this month. But WestWind Energy general manager Tobi Geiger said the company had strong support. "A petition is something where a group with very strong feelings in a community about something is trying to tell other people 'can you please sign here to support us?' " he said.
"The study we have done is really more scientifically based and it was run by an independent organisation - not by anyone with a particular interest in this proposal." LLELAG president Marcus O'Brien said the study's results were irrelevant as it was done before people knew about the plan. "When people find out more about the wind farms and the size and the impact of the whole thing they say 'we didn't know that'," he said. "I haven't met a lot of people who were against wind farms but are now for them, but I've not met a lot who were for then but are now against them."
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