The Winterbourne Wind project, with a planned 118 x 6.2MW Turbines, has a footprint that reaches within 6km of the Walcha township, 2.5km from the Apsley Falls lookout point, and 3.5km from the Steep Drop Falls Trail. It is adjacent to the World Heritage listed Gondwana Rainforests Area, incorporating the Wild Rivers National Park.
Despite being on the planning table for many years, the wider community has not been made aware of the shape and scale of this project until recent community discussions and a forum, where the developer, Vestas, declined to attend. This lack of consultation and engagement has been disappointing, and falls short of expectations a community should have of a developer.
NSW Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, Paul Scully, requested the Independent Planning Commission to;
1. Conduct a public hearing into the carrying out of the Winterbourne Wind Project prior to determining the development application for the project, under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979, paying particular attention to;
a. The Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure’s assessment report, including any recommendation conditions of consent;
b. Key issues raised in public submissions during the public hearing; and
c. Any other documents or information relevant to the determination of the development application.
2. Complete the public hearing and make its determination of the development application within 12 weeks of receiving the Department’s assessment report in respect of the project, unless the Planning Secretary agrees otherwise.
The implications of this are that there is more scrutiny on the hearing, compared to the normal IPC process of a public meeting however, there the right to appeal is extinguished, for the wider community, as well as the proponent.
After many extentions, Winterbourne submitted their ammended final EIS to the Department of Planning.
Winterbourne Wind have finally dropped their Amendment Report, as part of the Response to Submissions, after over 18 months and 5 extensions.
We have gone through the (2800+ paged) documentation, and we have put together a summary of concerns
After 3 extensions, Vestas response to submissions expected end of June 2024
We are pushing hard for an opportunity to respond, given the significant changes to the project - traffic route etc.
It will be really important for the community to have an input if we get this opportunity.
