A GROUP of Nundle business owners are saying 'yes in my backyard' to a controversial wind energy project on the town's famous Hills of Gold.
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Arc-en-Ciel Trout Farm owner Russell Sydenham won't host a single wind turbine on his property, but they will surround him.
Nonetheless he's a firm supporter of the $750 million Nundle Hills of Gold Wind Farm.
"Of all the properties in the area, we will probably have more surrounding us than any property in the area," he said.
"The flip side of green energy is burning coal and digging coal out of the ground. I'd much rather look at a turbine than an open-cut coal mine."
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It's not just the view that is at issue.
The trout farmer is heavily dependent on water from the hills, which wind farm opponents have suggested would be threatened by the renewable energy project.
Mr Sydenham said he's satisfied that his water access won't be compromised.
He added his voice to the group of business owners, including Peel Inn Hotel owner Rob Schofield and Megan Carberry, to come out in favour of the wind project. They called on the state government to give the green project the green light.
Mr Schofield said he wanted to counter what he said was a negative "doom and gloom" narrative about the project.
The town desperately needs investment, he said.
"The old place, it's sort of gone a bit steady now. It's not the same town it was 40 years ago," he said.
"I've been here in the pub 54 years and I've seen a lot of change."
The group said COVID-19 lockdowns have shown the area is too reliant on the visitor economy, and needs another source of revenue.
But Mr Sydenham said the project would by necessity improve the road system and improve access for tourists to sites like the ridgeline above the town.
It would provide a whole host of new tourism opportunities including a mountain bike trail, viewing platforms, and picnic areas, through a $175,000 community enhancement fund, he said.
The 70-turbine project, which is owned by French company Engie, is midway through the state government's planning process. The proponent has yet to answer some 632 submissions by the public to the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment, most of them against the project. Tamworth Regional Council also opposed the scheme.
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