Wind turbines are go

Hepburn Shire Advocate
08/08/2007 Page: 2

THE controversial Leonards Hill wind farm will go ahead after the Victorian Civil and Administrative Appeals Tribunal last week gave it the green light after a two-month hearing in Melbourne. Hepburn Shire Council approved Australia's first community wind farm in February despite 18 objections. The objectors took the case to VCAT. The $8 million project also received more than 300 positive submissions.

The VCAT report said there would be a significant impact on people involved no matter which outcome was reached and found the proposal had caused community divisions. Melbourne-based company Future Energy is developing the project in partnership with Hepburn Renewable Energy Association. The project will consist of two two-megawatt 68-metre turbines built on a farm on the Ballan-Daylesford Rd that the company said would produce enough energy for more than 2000 homes. Noise from the wind farm will comply with prescribed standards.

HREA committee president Per Bernard said: "It's clear from the VCAT decision that Future Energy prepared a very comprehensive application covering all the environmental and amenity issues. "It gives us a lot of confidence that we can continue working together to complete this great community project," he said. Future Energy's managing director David Shapero was delighted with the decision. "We'd like to thank everyone who supported the application. "This project is already an inspiration to communities across Australia and we think it will prove to be the first of many community-owned renewable energy projects.".

Mayor David Smith said, while the council understood the objectors' views, under the planning and environment act planning applications had to be determined on their planning merits. "VCAT has confirmed that council's decision to grant a permit was correct," he said. Mr Shapero couldn't put a date on when construction would start. He said: "This is a magnificent milestone but there's a lot of work still to be done before we start the fund raising process." Sustainability Victoria has allocated $975,000 for the wind farm.