Cherry Tree Range wind project still open for submissions

DSCF5119 — The wind farm will be on the ridge in the background. Image: Richard Telford, who notes: “the access road will be resited from this point and continue on to the existing track that can be seen leading up to the ridge, with little impact on vegetation”.

The Cherry Tree Wind Farm is in early stages of development, with a forecast installed capacity of 50 MW.

It is in the Trawool/Whiteheads Creek area, just south east of Seymour.

The proposal includes:

Construction of 16 wind turbines with a height of approximately 150 metres (pole height of 100 metres and blade height of 50 metres)
Associated infrastructure including a substation, overhead and underground cabling, site office and an operations building
Earthworks to allow access to the site
Removal of native vegetation to facilitate access and infrastructure on the site

A number of information sessions were held by the proponent (Infigen Energy) in December 2011. An anti-wind meeting was held in August 2012.

The Cherry Tree proposal is currently on public display. While the formal period for submissions is now over, Council have indicated that they will consider submissions up until the time it takes a decision on the proposal.

All planning documents can be found here.

Please send a short letter of support for the proposal

Submissions should be sent to

Statutory Planning Unit,c/o Mitchell Shire Council, 113 High Street, Broadford 3658

or can be emailed to mitchell@mitchellshire.vic.gov.au

Please be aware that any submission received will be placed on the planning file and can be publicly viewed.

A simple letter of support is sufficient. Please add your name and address.

Planning Application: P306963/12

Some points to make

That you support the development of renewable energy
That the project is expected to cost $100 million, and will generate considerable employment opportunities and business activity within the Mitchell Shire and local community
That land owners will receive direct benefits through hosting the turbines
That the area proposed is largely cleared agricultural land so environmental impacts will be minimal
That the wind farm will generate enough green electricity to power 23,000 homes

The summary from members of local environment group BEAM is:

“While some vegetation will need to be removed in order to construct the towers, the impact on the existing vegetation appears minimal as the land is mostly cleared and heavily grazed. While there are some concerns, that we feel need to be addressed, the overall benefits of the project far outweigh the negative impacts”.

Check here for an informative assessment of the proposal from Richard Telford and a second piece on the environmental implications of the project following a site visit.