Engie is resubmitting their Hills of Gold windfarm plan with changes to transport routes and turbine location following negative feedback

Following a rejection of the project by the Tamworth Regional Council back in May, renewable energy company Engie has now submitted a project amendment to the NSW Government.

According to Engie project manager Meredith Anderson, while they have made some changes to the project, other concerns could not be addressed.

"The community obviously had a lot of concerns around native vegetation removal and visuals," she said.

"But because we were changing the transport route for oversize and overmass vehicles and submitting a project amendment, it didn't enable us to re-work and re-look at some of those community concerns."

According to Ms Anderson the changes that have been made mainly address the concerns of the Tamworth Regional Council, the DPE, and the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service.

"[When] we decided to actually submit a project amendment, the main reason being Tamworth Council was still concerned about the Devil's Elbow bypass proposal and also the retaining wall along Morrisons Gap Road," she said.

"And working with NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service we did remove one turbine, turbine 41, which gave us a distance of 1.2km between two turbines.

"We did actually shift 20 turbines, particularly those ones adjacent to Ben Hoare Gap Nature Reserve."

Ms Anderson said the removal of turbine 41 would allow space for aerial firefighting, and shifting turbines would lessen the impact on birds and bats located at the nearby reserve.

In effect she said this would create a wildlife corridor.

She said they are also now "progressing with biodiversity stewardship sites".

"And we got consultants on the properties to ascertain exactly what sort of vegetation types are out there so we can keep working through that to get that wildlife corridor," she said.

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Changes to the transport route were included in a response to the Tamworth Regional Council's "concerns around soil erosion and sediment control".

Plans are now for oversize and overmass vehicles to come up Crawney Road and include a substation nearby.

"We also used this opportunity to investigate a quarry location just off site but very close to the project site, which will significantly reduce the number of traffic movements required for work on the project site," Ms Anderson said.

"We've also taken the opportunity to put in an alternative substation location which is along the main access track coming off that Crawney Road site."

By mid November all of these changes will be on exhibition to the public.

According to Ms Anderson the public will also be able to view "associated reports and re-assessments that we've done, so your biodiversity assessment report, your traffic assessment, landscape and visual impact assessments."

But none of these developments have swayed wind farm opponents.

Secretary of Hills of Gold Preservation Inc Megan Trousdale, said their concerns remain largely unaddressed.

"It doesn't matter what transport route is proposed, the Hanging Rock, Crawney and Timor topography is not suitable for an industrial development of this kind," she said.

As for the impact of the turbines themselves, Ms Trousdale said the risks remain.

"Concerns remain regarding potential bird and bat strike, and biodiversity in the Nature Reserve, Crawney Pass National Park, Crown Land and the project area," she said.

"Based on a presentation at a Community Consultative Committee Update last month the relocation of 19 turbines neighbouring Ben Halls Gap Nature Reserve is 'minor'.

"Nine turbines move less than 100m and 10 turbines less than 150m."

At the end of the day she said, it's "not a good look".

"It is distressing that after nearly five years a French multi-national company continues to force a proposal on a council and local community majority that does not give its consent."

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