Renewable Energy meeting at Walcha Bowling Club attracts hundreds

"We're just asking that our community get across the facts and be a part of the process of informing the NSW planning department," Mr Greig said.

"And do what they feel is right for the community."

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Mr Greig was one of the organisers in attendance at the renewable energy meeting held at the Walcha Bowling Club on Wednesday.

Several hundred people listened and conversed about clean green energy developments in the New England region.

Among the five speakers was Walcha mayor Eric Noakes who spoke about what the Walcha Council has done, is doing, and what is expected of developers.

Mr Greig said renewable energy developers were not being transparent enough about their planned projects, leading to friction that is tearing apart neighbours and the community.

"The process of engagement with the landholders is that they require a secrecy agreement to be signed," Mr Greig said.

"So the landholders are not talking to their neighbours about their own involvement.

"Therefore, a lot of the neighbours are surprised and alarmed by suddenly finding themselves surrounded by a project that they weren't aware of until five or six of their neighbours have already committed to being a part of it.

"That is not sitting comfortably with a lot of people in the community."

Mr Greig said other issues in discussion included "burning the ratepayer" due to heavy vehicles causing damage to the roads during construction.

"And traffic congestion from light vehicle movements at the start and end of day," he said.

Unrecyclable wind turbine blades, the impact on tourism especially in relation to national parks, end-of-life decommissioning commitments from the developer and many other issues were also talked about.

Mr Greig said the developer of the Winterbourne Windfarm project declined an invite to the Walcha meeting. And that representatives from Walcha Energy cancelled their attendance on Tuesday, the day before the event.

Other speakers included Mark Fogarty, solicitor and small-scale renewable energy developer, who spoke about disabling social licence, the NSW planning process such as the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), and what Walcha can do.

Karen Zirkler, a Kentucky farmer, talked about living in an EIS environment and what her community is doing and has done during that process.

Wellington farmer Peter Barton spoke about how his community has been impacted by the wind turbine development in that area over the last five years.

Walcha-local Max MaWhinney has experience in project capital-raising and large-scale industrial property development. He spoke about what these projects could mean for the local landholder and community.

Discussions included the controversial Winterbourne Windfarm project slated for development in the New England area, and the nearby Walcha Energy Project.

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