Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall wants more time for community to comment on Winterbourne Wind Farm EIS

The Winterbourne Wind Farm, proposed to be located 6.5 kilometres northeast of Walcha, covers about 22,285 hectares, and would involve the construction of 119 wind turbine generators.

The community was given a month to make comment on the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), which closes on December 15.

Mr Marshall has called on the NSW Department of Planning to extend the public exhibition period until January 15, 2023 "to allow the Walcha community to properly respond to the Department with submissions".

"This is the largest wind farm proposal our region has seen yet and the community is only being given one month to digest the EIS and prepare submissions in response - it simply isn't enough time," Mr Marshall said.

"The EIS document is large and detailed, with 23 separate attachments, all told around 1,000 pages which has to be read, understood and responded to.

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"The windfarm proponent has had years to compile its EIS but to expect the community to deal with it properly within a month, is nonsensical."

Mr Marshall said giving the community an extra month is "not too much to ask", and it would allow locals to respond with "better quality submissions and give the Department a much better sense of local views, questions and concerns".

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