While wind farm blades turn lazily against blue and cloudless skies there is a darker aspect to their development, causing widening community rifts and pitting neighbour against neighbour, friend against friend and families against each other.
Wind farms in the Mid North are a relatively new phenomena but the growth of this proclaimed green energy source has been swift.
And while communities initially celebrated them for the economic benefits brought by the construction, and farmers were pleased to accept payments to have them on their land, there has been a recent groundswell of concern about the health, social and environmental implications of wind farms.
A public meeting held at Point Pass on Tuesday, December 15, drew such a large crowd the venue had to be changed from the hotel to the local hall.
About 60 people filled the space to hear speakers on how wind farm developments have affected their lives.
The meeting heard concerns about low frequency sounds, environmental impact and the conflict wind farm developments were causing within communities.
The unease by people living by the Waterloo and Hallett wind farms and those proposed in the Robertstown district became apparent as speakers both from the panel and the floor gave illustrations of the influence of the turbines.
There were many examples of conflict turbines have caused within communities, with one church congregation hotly divided in their opinions.
“We want to make people aware of the impact and implications of living with wind farms,” Waterloo landholder James Stewart-Rattray said.
“The biggest lesson for us at Waterloo was that no one was aware of just how devastating the construction process is – this is a massive industrial complex.”
Waterloo farmer John Faint said he had been alerted to the health issues of living close to wind turbines by visitors from Sweden, who warned him of possible problems with children’s education.
“That really scared me and I wasn’t willing to inflict serious medical health issues on my family, and I decided I would have nothing to do with the wind farms,” he said.
Landholders who agreed to host wind turbines on their properties were encouraged by the meeting to ensure they looked at their energy company contracts carefully and to gain the maximum amount of money in exchange for leasing their land.
Residents opposed to wind farm development were told to begin their campaign of objections as soon as possible and not wait until it was too late.
The meeting culminated in a resolution from the floor calling on all regional local councils to hold a moratorium on wind farm development until there had been a thorough independent enquiry in their social, health, ecological and economic impacts.
Clare and Gilbert Valleys Council chief executive officer Roy Blight said the State Government Planning Authority was responsible for approving wind farm developments and councils could not apply moratoriums.
Councils could, however, take policy positions and make representations to the government on behalf of communities, if councillors agreed.
Mr Blight said the Waterloo wind farm had a clause in their building approval that covered reinstating land and decommissioning wind turbines if they were abandoned or reached the end of their useful life.
American paediatrician Dr Nina Pierpoint has undertaken a five year study of people living near wind turbines in the US, Britain, Italy, Ireland and Canada. The study, of 38 people, found that those living near wind farms can contract “wind turbine syndrome” with symptoms including tinnitus, vertigo and sleep deprivation.
She also said people living near wind farms were at greater risk of heart disease, panic attacks and migraines, although many scientists believe wind farms do not pose a health risk.
Wind farm developer Roaring 40s – a company formed through a partnership between Hydro Tasmania and China Light & Power – is currently constructing or planning wind farms at Stony Gap, north of Burra, Waterloo and Robertstown.
Roaring 40s general manager corporate services Steve Jackman said he would be happy to discuss concerns about the projects with groups or individuals, as appropriate, and would be providing more detailed comments on some of the matters raised by the community meeting in the new year.
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