PAUATAHANUI FUTURES SOCIETY INC.
Puketiro Wind Farm Update July 2010
The past year has been fairly quiet on the wind farm front, but plenty of wheels have been turning behind the scenes and, in the coming months, things will be hotting up. There are a few key decision documents circulating which could significantly influence the outcome of the Puketiro, and future, wind farms in our area.
Battle Hill Forest Park Relinquished but Battle Continues
Continued pressure on GWRC by local communities, including legal action, has finally (July 2009) resulted in the Council and the developer RES abandoning plans to use Battle Hill Forest Park for windfarm access and infrastructure.
Apparently an alternate access route is being negotiated via public roads, involving land south of Battle Hill on the Paekakariki Hill Road.
Community Links
| Republic of Makara |
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http://republicofmakara.com |
| Ohariu Preservation Society |
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http://www.ohariupreservationsociety.org.nz/ |
Ohariu Preservation Society Incorporated (OPS) is a group of Ohariu Valley residents who concerned about wind-farm development in the Ohariu and Wellington region. Fog of Battle Hill
A Clarifying Update by Diane Strugnell
Many of you will have read in the Dominion Post or on the internet the article with the headline "Council calls halt to Belmont wind farm"
It has been very pleasing to know that a lot of people care enough to contact us with congratulatory phone calls. The disappointing thing is to have to let people know that the article is misleading and in places entirely incorrect.
Wind may Conflict with Water!
An address by Diane Strugnell to the Parks, Forests & Utilities Committee - Greater Wellington Regional Council on 23 October 2008
Whitby Receives Some Bad News
Leaflets describing the impacts of the Puketiro windfarm have been delivered to houses in the Whitby area.
Are you prepared...
for the huge windfarm which is planned to be sited a few kilometres from your home and the noise, blade-glint and low frequency vibrations that may affect you?
Can you tolerate...
the reduced desirability of your property and the consequent devaluation due to the proximity to these industrial structures that will be seen from your street?
Landscape Vandalism
The above image of Stirling Castle in Scotland provides an unusually clear understanding of the scale of modern wind turbines and their potential to visually desecrate the landscape. It is difficult to reconcile the thinking that permitted such vandalism to be perpetrated on such an historic place.
And there's more:
Windfarms don't ease power peak
From Taranki Daily News - 11 June 2008
Taranaki’s first wind farm, planned to be built on the coast at Waverley, will probably contribute nothing to meeting the country’s peak winter power demand.
Shadow Flicker
Shadow flicker occurs when the blades of a wind turbine move through the sunlight and cast a moving shadow. The taller the turbine the further the shadow can be projected. Turbines sited on hills can cast shadows up to a kilometre or more away. The effect is similar to a stroboscopic light. It can last for several hours and when cast on homes is intrusive and stressful.
