Proposed $6.9 million solar farm for Hunts Road, Gunnedah knocked back by Northern Regional Planning Panel

In its determination, the panel declared the 5MW solar farm proposed for 262 Hunts Road, Gunnedah, was "not in the public interest".

NSW Community Renewables submitted a DA to Gunnedah Shire Council for the project in June, 2020, which received 13 public submissions, all in objection.

In the council's assessment report, it recommended the project be refused due to a number of factors, including the impact the development would have on house and land prices.

NRPP chair Paul Mitchell said the application would conflict with council's adopted residential development strategy, and unreasonably restrict Gunnedah's residential development options.

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"The site of the proposed development is within the view of a significant number of residences, and the proposal would have an unacceptable vision impact on some of those," he said during the panel's determination meeting.

"We believe, that while it may be feasibly possible to mitigate these visual impacts, insufficient information has been provided in the proposal to demonstrate how such mitigation would occur."

The development would have been located within 400 metres of a residential zone, and therefore would have "unacceptable" noise impacts, he said.

"The project also has the potential to have unacceptable noise impacts on two residences during the construction phase.

"Finally, for the reasons above, approval would not be in the public interest."

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