Tamworth Regional Council: councillors united in stance against proposed Hills of Gold wind farm at Hanging Rock

There was not one backer of the project in the council chambers on Tuesday night, when councillors unanimously voted to send a damning letter to the Department of Planning and Environment (DPE) in reply to proponent ENGIE's response to submissions.

Cr Helen Tickle said the proposal has been dragging on for four long years, consuming valuable resources.

"I am a supporter of environmental sustainability, including renewable energy," she said.

"However, I will not be supporting this project. It is counterproductive and has damaging long-term effects on our environment and communities.

"The proposed site has proved to be totally inappropriate with significant negative impacts on road infrastructure, heritage and biodiversity. Already, there has been significant, destructive and unauthorised, land clearing."

Cr Mark Rodda said the proponent's responses have been scant on details, which was just not good enough.

"The impacts on public infrastructure are profound, particularly to the area that the proponent proposes to bulldoze for a private track," he said.

"And there is no certainty about the way the proponent intends to address the ongoing issues to our road infrastructure, be it Morrison's Gap Road, Barry Road, the roads within the village of Nundle, Lindsays Gap Road or indeed the New England Highway."

Council has raised numerous concerns, including site suitability, heritage, biodiversity and visual impacts, and the risk of bushfires.

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Hills of Gold Preservation Group President John Krsulja commended TRC on its continued opposition.

"It's important that as we as a society move into the transition to renewable energy that we get the location right, and it's evident that after four years of consultation with ENGIE, that this location is still not right," he said.

"There's still a problem with access, whether it's through the Devil's Elbow bypass, there will still be problems with areas of heritage and cultural significance."

Long-term Nundle resident Ian Worley also spoke in support of the council's continued rejection of ENGIE's project.

"My extended family and I are directly negatively impacted by this proposed development," he said.

"Our properties sit well under three kilometers and look directly on a significant part of the proposed development.

"Regardless of the spin ENGIE decides to put forward, the local majority clearly do not want this development to go forward, it is simply the wrong place."

The state-significant project is currently being assessed by the DPE, with a recommendation to the Independent Planning Commission expected in the coming months.

ENGIE's development manager, Meredith Anderson, told the Leader TRC's opposition was disappointing.

She said TRC has refused multiple offers to tour the site with the ENGIE team to gain a better understanding of important technical details and design changes made following feedback from the local community.

"I don't mind people objecting to the site, but I want them to be informed objectors, and we are finding with the objectors that they aren't attending community information sessions, and we aren't getting as much access to councillors as we would like," she said.

"It's okay to object to the project, but if you can be informed and object to the project that would be much more beneficial for the whole community."

If approved, the wind farm will generate enough renewable energy to power around 182,000 average Australian homes.

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