Residents and business leaders opposed to the location of the proposed Burrundulla Mini Sustainable Energy Park, met in Mudgee on Friday to voice their concerns.
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Des Kennedy, speaking as "a resident of 30 years in this beautiful region", said the project is "too close to town and not conducive to what we're trying to promote here".
"We have a massive tourism industry, it's a beautiful valley, and they're probably needs to be more strategic thoughts on where these solar farms are located in the future," he said. And called for investment so that such facilities don't need to be located in similar areas.
"If I'm a solar farm developer I'm going to get as close to a power grid as I can because it costs a million bucks a kilometre to build a transmission cable to get to it," he said. "The government need to be investing in this infrastructure to help these solar farm proposals. The one at Gulgong is 700m from the town boundary - the 50km/h zone - now that's way too close, the one on the entrance to Mudgee is 2.2km from Bunnings and that's too close."
Mudgee Chamber of Commerce vice-president, Andrew Palmer, said, "it will be hugely visible, it will be very industrial in its look and it's right on the doorstep of Mudgee".
"Mudgee means 'nest in the hills' and as you drive in over the hills you get this beautiful vista of the Cudgegong Valley, it's the first thing you see as they come in from Sydney, it's the last thing they see as they leave, it really is a magical setting," he said. "And to have 60 acres of solar panels, an industrial solar plant right on the front doorstep, it's just a tragic outcome.
"I think it will seriously impact tourism, it's a major industry for our town, and just a small impact on that will have a massive economic effect. Certainly from the Chamber of Commerce's point of view, and everyone I've spoken to locally, the feeling is that they would like to see this kind of project come into the community and into this region.
"It's a very broad issue, we've got the same thing happening out at Gulgong which is a historic town and they're going to have the same thing - a massive industrial solar electricity plant right on the edge of their town as well."
The property of Anita and Craig Rusten is neighbouring the proposed site. Mr Rusten said, "if you're for solar or against it, it's just the wrong location".
"No one wants it right next to their farm, no one wants to drive into town and see a solar farm, and we just don't want to put good agricultural land under solar panels," he said. "There are plenty of other places in Australia, that's not great country, that you can put a solar farm on."
The Development Application can be viewed at Mid-Western Regional Council's website, under Documents on Exhibition.
ITP Renewables were contacted for comment.
Mudgee Guardian
