Tamworth Regional Council concerns not alleviated by modified plans for ENGIE's Hills of Gold Wind Farm in Nundle

ENGIE's amended proposal for the Hills of Gold Wind Farm development in Nundle has done little to nothing to ease council's worries about the project.

In May, Tamworth Regional Council voted unanimously to send a damning letter to the Department of Planning and Environment in response to the proposed plans.

But in a letter obtained by the Leader, council's manager of development Sam Lobsey told the department the new modified plans do "not alleviate any concerns" previously raised by council, with the exception of comments made regarding a bypass.

The modified project plans went back on public exhibition in November with changes to the number of wind turbines, the movement of oversized vehicles through Nundle, new site access points at Crawney Road and the expansion and potential use of an existing quarry within Nundle State Forest.

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In the letter to the department, Mr Lobsey said council agreed with the "sensible decision" to remove the Devil's Elbow bypass which was slated as an oversize, overmass vehicle road.

But council "is not convinced" this solves the problem of heavy vehicles on narrow roads.

"Despite the efforts to present new route options, there remains very real environmental, cultural and visual negative impact on the existing local road network," Mr Lobsey wrote.

Roads of concern include Barry Road, Morrison's Gap Road, and as a result of the amended proposal Happy Valley Road, Crawney Road and Nundle's main road, Jenkins Street.

The letter suggests the new access routes will "negatively impact on the character" of Nundle and transform the tourist destination into an industrial area.

Council has also deemed the effects on biodiversity as "unacceptable" due to vegetation loss and land clearing for endangered species.

To accommodate heavy traffic volumes, trees along Jenkins Street would need to be removed, which Mr Lobsey said would "negatively impact" the entrance to Nundle.

There is also a "continued concern" about the wind farm's proximity to the Ben Hall's Gap Nature Reserve and Crawney Pass National Park.

Vibrations caused by heavy vehicles have the potential to destroy heritage listed buildings, including the Peel Inn, according to the letter.

Despite the potential for damage to be only "temporary" and likely to occur during construction, Mr Lobsey said there is likely to be an ongoing requirement for transporting materials along Jenkins Street once the wind farm is operational.

"Council does not agree with the 'temporary' proposition," he wrote.

"With the more likely scenario being the retainment of a road, for delivery purposes, which will therefore continue to have a negative impact on the heritage curtilage of the Peel Inn."

The selected site for the wind farm has been dubbed as "highly impractical" and would cause a "significant cost to the community and its natural environment".

Mr Lobsey said council maintains its position the site is "completely inappropriate" on the grounds it cannot achieve ecologically sustainable development, promote social and economic welfare, or the sustainable management of built and cultural heritage.

The route to the proposed windfarm will cross a cycleway on Innes Street and would require council to reinstate the infrastructure post construction.

The route will also cross two water mains, which would "likely need to be reconstructed", one of which was built with asbestos cement in the 1970s.

The roads included in council's concerns are identified as being subject to flood hazards with approximately half considered as "high" hazard areas.

Mr Lobsey said both council and the Rural Fire Service are concerned about bushfire risk.

"Council is not satisfied that the steep terrain, which will result in fast moving bushfires, will be able to be controlled," he wrote.

"Or that there will be certainty that safe access for firefighting crews, ground and aerial will be available and can be maintained."

In a newsletter to residents before the exhibition period, ENGIE development manager Meredith Anderson said depending on the "nature" of the submissions received on the modified plans, and if further technical work is required, the company hoped to have a recommendation from the department in 2023, with the Independent Planning Commission expected to be held in mid-2023.

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