Sydney golfer to reap rewards after agreeing to host wind turbines on property, while farmers suffer

While this man plays golf in Sydney his regional neighbours agonise over giant wind turbines to be built on his property.

Sydney resident Will Kelly has agreed to host dozens of wind turbines on his regional property. Picture: Thomas Lisson

An eastern suburbs resident, who plays at one of Sydney’s most exclusive golf courses, is set to reap the rewards from hosting dozens of giant wind turbines on his regional property, although his farming neighbours will miss out.

The Daily Telegraph can reveal Will Kelly, who owns a property worth an estimated $7 million at Bellevue Hill, has agreed to have the majority of the project’s 90 turbines on his large family farm outside Yass.

The proposal from Wind Prospect has fractured the tiny towns of Bowning and Binalong, where farmers claim they were left out of confidential arrangements that would result in 260m-high turbines next to their fence lines.

On Tuesday morning, Mr Kelly was at the Royal Sydney Golf Club, which carries a joining fee of $25,000 and then ongoing payments of about $6000 per year.

Will Kelly lives in Bellevue Hill and has a property near Yass in NSW where several massive wind turbines are being proposed. Picture: Thomas Lisson

When he discovered he was being photographed, Mr Kelly proceeded to grab a News Corp employee’s camera. “What’s all this about – hosting a couple of turbines?” Mr Kelly asked.

He then stood in front of The Telegraph’s vehicle and refused to move. When asked if he was hosting 60 of the project’s 90 turbines, Mr Kelly said: “It’s not 60”. When asked if he was hosting a total of 50, Mr Kelly said: “Mate, it’s all confidential”.

The exchange came to an end thanks to the help of Royal Sydney’s professional team of staff.

Mr Kelly is understood to split his time between the Yass region and his eastern suburbs home.

There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing from Mr Kelly. The Telegraph is simply highlighting his living arrangements, as he also plays a key hosting role in a regional Net Zero project.

The contracts between Wind Prospect and a handful of locals – including Mr Kelly and his brother Sam who owns a property next door – came to the attention of neighbouring property owners earlier this year, before the company began public consultation. Wind Prospect insists it has been “engaging respectfully and transparently with the community”.

Private deals secured by the Kelly brothers were the subject of major debate during our recent visit to the region.

The tiny towns are torn over a wind farm proposal. Picture: Martin Ollman

During a community forum in Bowning one of their neighbours asked: “Why does our place have to lose millions in land value while the block next door can make even more money in the future?”

When contacted by The Daily Telegraph today, a local farmer exclaimed: “So we’re shearing sheep and feeding lambs, and he’s playing golf?”

A government spokesman said the Bendenine Wind Farm remains “in the earliest stages with no formal proposal submitted for assessment.”

However the spokesman stated: “Private landholders are able to make choices about how they develop their land, subject to planning approvals.”

Premier Chris Minns said the government “did not want to steamroll over” people in the bush, however the state could not afford to delay the path to reducing emissions.

“If we delay even a month … the people who pay are mum and dad energy users across the state, not to mention manufacturing, not to mention thousands and thousands of jobs,” Mr Minns said.

Wind Prospect will run the project in the initial stages before handing it over to Mint Renewables, jointly owned by investment firm Infratil and the Commonwealth Superannuation Corporation.

Both Will and Sam Kelly declined to answer questions.

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Originally published as Sydney golfer to reap rewards after agreeing to host wind turbines on property, while farmers suffer