The Age
1 September 2011, Page: 16
LANDSCAPE architects often assist in determining wind farm location, our particular role being to assess visual and aesthetic impact on the landscape. While trying to minimise such impacts, we are aware the entire landscape is threatened by the pollution of unsustainable forms of energy production.
The lack of strategic consideration in the government's response is concerning. Rather than generic exclusion zones, a proper statewide assessment of suitable locations would have provided a far more mature approach in line with the government's responsibilities to all Victorians.
Individual veto of infrastructure is another concern. Will people within two kilometres of a proposed freeway get to veto the freeway? Probably not--and rightly so--yet the freeway is more polluting than any wind farm. This planning decision singles out wind farms for excessive control. Such decisions undermine faith in the rigour and robustness of the planning process.
Kirsten Bauer, Australian Institute of Architects, Melbourne
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