1. What can you do? We need you to ACT.
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We need the minister and Energy Co to know that the Walcha Community does not support these proposed projects and transmission infrastructure. We need to communicate to politicians and government departments about the poor engagement, poor consultation and lack of social license.
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Our community needs to be comfortable talking about what they expect Walcha to look like in 20 years, and to feel comfortable taking a position. Be brave, and act. Check out our guide for how to do this – scroll down.
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2. Scrutiny on dubious assessments included in the Winterbourne Wind EIS
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Voice for Walcha will commission a peer review of the Traffic Impact Assessment for Winterbourne Wind. This is a report that has made very dubious claims, including suggesting that an additional 288 semi-trailers and 4-5 Oversize Over-mass trucks, 6 days a week during peak construction, traveling on the Oxley highway, will have negligible impact on traffic and road conditions. Really?? This report needs to be independently assessed.
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3. We are getting a roll on!
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Much has been happening in the general media, in parliament, and on the streets. Mainstream media has picked up on the story of damage to communities, damage to local economies, damage to ecology, poor engagement by developers and plain dumb policy made on the run.
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4. Vision 2030 Institute Forum
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Wed 6th September | Armidale Bowling Club
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Save the date if you are interested in attending
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The Changing Face of New England - discussing the alarming impact on communities of the REZ zoning and introduction of renewable projects with poor communication and community preparation.
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Panel: Mayor Eric Noakes (Walcha), Mayor Sam Coupland (Armidale), and Mayor Robert Bell (Uralla)
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We have been told by the government bodies responsible for rolling out the Renewable Energy Zones, the renewable projects and the powerlines that projects will not go ahead without "social license" or community support. Walcha is already becoming known as a local area with strong community resistance to these developments. We need to show the politicians that the Walcha Community will not support renewable projects that are inappropriately located, that are inappropriately sized or that have inappropriate developers. If we do not have these projects, it will follow that we will not have transmission lines criss-crossing our LGA.
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We are asking ALL Walcha residents who do not approve of these projects being imposed on our community to write a letter to the NSW Minister for Energy and Climate Change, Penny Sharpe and the Executive Director of EnergyCo Mike Young. We would also encourage you to copy in our state and federal members and any other contacts you would like to include.
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Let the decision makers know your thoughts ...
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(Click on the names below to send an email)
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You are also free to contact the Department of Planning if you have concerns around the Winterbourne Wind Project. Best contact:
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Issues that residents may wish to include in their letters ...
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1. Should Walcha Energy be allowed to surround our town with wind turbines? Walcha Energy are attempting to concentrate ½ the renewable energy projects of the New England REZ around Walcha.
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2. Is the Walcha Plateau an appropriate location for large scale wind farms? Access for these projects is planned to be the Oxley Hwy. The number of heavy vehicles as well as the transport of turbine blades and components is going to block the Oxley Hwy for years to come. This will cripple other existing industries in our community as well as the ability of Walcha locals to move around our area. See attached link for more specifics. https://voiceforwalcha.com/construction-traffic/
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3. The planned Winterbourne Wind Project and Ruby Hills Project are going to cause extensive environmental damage, impacting endangered species and critically endangered ecological communities. These projects should be in less sensitive locations.
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4. Why are the powerlines being diverted from the more direct and existing route (from Qld, through Armidale and Tamworth down to the Hunter Valley). We believe the only reason the powerlines are being brought through the Walcha LGA is because of the projects being touted by Walcha Energy. Walcha Energy claim they are developing projects on the Walcha Plateau equivalent to 15% of the energy demands of NSW. The powerlines are following Walcha Energy’s projects.
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5. Consultation with the community has been woefully inadequate. We had many Walcha residents take the time to attend the EnergyCo Information sessions at the Walcha Bowling Club on 22nd June. Many questions were asked at these sessions and the consultants took contact details so these questions could be answered. None of our questions have been answered. Should the community be kept in the dark like this? This is not the community consultation that has been promised by the state government and EnergyCo. We deserve to know where the powerlines are going and why these routes have been chosen.
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6. These renewable energy projects and the transmission infrastructure do not have social license. We are being told that these developments will not go ahead without social license but there is no definition of social license. Surely lack of community support means there is no social license. Support and encourage family, friends and nieghbours.
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We need to demonstrate that the majority of our community do not support these developments. We need as many letters as possible. It does not need to be a long letter - please take 10-20 minutes to do this.
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Make sure our voice is heard.
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2. Scrutiny on dubious assessments included in the Winterbourne Wind EIS
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Voice for Walcha will commission peer review of the Traffic Impact Assessment for Winterbourne Wind. This is a report that has made very dubious claims, including suggesting that an additional 288 semi-trailers and 4-5 oversize over-mass trucks, every day, on the Oxley highway, will have negligible impact on traffic and road conditions. Really?? This report needs to be independently assessed.
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This peer review will scrutinise the accuracy and the thoroughness of the Winterbourne Wind Traffic Impact Assessment that was part of the EIS (Environmental Impact Study). We have highlighted many deficiencies and inaccuracies in our own submission, but a professional and independent peer review can be submitted to the planning department, be the subject of review for the Independent Planning Commission and be referred to by our own council.
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We have become aware that the department may be also doing this with another independent consultant, and this too will place scrutiny on the Winterbourne assessment in question.
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In addition, we will be asking our consultant to provide a cost benefit analysis of the impact of having one or multiple wind farm projects using the Oxley Highway for access to their construction site, on the community of Walcha. This will cover a wide scope of effects including economic, as well as community impacts.
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Interestingly, a lot of our concerns were expressed in a presentation to council nearly 12 months ago on the 22nd October. This was prior to the EIS being released and was using data gained directly from the Vestas project director Doug Landfear, as well as other general knowledge. None of this data or information requires updating, or correcting, and we still stand by the presentation.
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These impacts are significant, and an accurate assessment is warranted. We are not prepared to accept the now infamously poor-quality EIS that has been dumped on the table from Vestas, as assessment of impacts. Our community is far too important.
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3. We are getting a roll on!
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Much has been happening in the general media, in parliament, and on the streets. There has been a lot of activity showing that the regional areas will not be the plaything of arrogant developers, and blind government. Mainstream media has picked up on the story of damage to communities, damage to local economies, damage to ecology, and plain dumb policy, made on the run.
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Tamworth, Friday 11th August.
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Many from Walcha were in attendance at the Rally, sending the message to Albo that consultation has been a farce.
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Bendemeer farmer Rachel Rummery said renewable energy is the way forward, but farmers must be consulted. She has a wind farm being built on her property, but has been consulted about that.
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"We also have the possibility of transmission lines crossing our land, and we get very little choice in that. At least (with) the wind farm I've had a choice, they've come to me and said, ‘would you like to be involved? These are the benefits', and I got to choose. (There's) no choice with a power line," she said.
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There's quite a bit to unpack in this quote. As a host, you need to think about more than just income when it comes to hosting turbines.
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A key consideration here is - the only reason the powerlines are coming is that land owners are hosting projects that need to be connected to the grid. Landholders have the power of tenure, without that gift to the developer, there is no project and no powerline.
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Consider your neighbours, they are seriously impacted by your decision also.
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Mike young director of Enco at the recent NSW farmers meeting in Tamworth stated "if there is no project or prospect of a project then the state will not be wasting tax payer money to build redundant transmission lines and infrastructure."
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No wind turbines = no transmission lines
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3 great articles in this weeks Spectator Australia ... click on the links below to read online.
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4. Vision 2030 Institute Forum
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Wed 6th September | Armidale Bowling Club
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New England Visions 2030 is a group of academics in Armidale that are trying to progress renewable development in the New England. A noble effort they feel, however they are only now becoming aware of the enormous gap between promised community engagement, and the reality of what is happening on the ground. Only now is it apparent that industrial scale development means industrial scale disruption and destruction of biodiversity of ridgetops, clogging of vital roads and blowouts in rental availability. Existing economic strength in these communities that have prospered for generations will be threatened by labour shortages, loss of services and disruption to transport routes. In addition, aerial services to agriculture and tourism will be disrupted or shut down by turbines on cloudy ridgetops and 65m high powerlines adjacent to ag airstrips. This, and more, needs to be discussed, to dispel the utopian imagery previously displayed by this group.
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The institute has invited the Mayors of Armidale, Uralla and Walcha to sit on the panel and face questions from the community. What will the community say?
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