Protesters want some landscapes to be wind farm no go zones

A group of North West Tasmanian locals will protest at Wednesday’s Tasmanian Energy Development Conference saying some iconic areas should be exempt from wind farm development.

PROTESTERS will return to the Tasmanian Energy Development Conference on Wednesday to tell the government and the company behind a planned wind farm for Stanley that special landscapes should be off limits to turbines.

The conference will be held at Devonport’s Paranaple centre and members of the Stanley community will call on the state government to follow interstate leads and create No Go Zone for areas where there are important landscapes.

Respect Stanley Peninsula – No Wind Turbines says it had long supported renewable energy and the need to transition to renewables.

“But it must be done well,” a spokesperson said.

“Our communities and our special landscapes should be respected in this process. Tasmania is plenty big enough that appropriate locations can be found that don’t negatively impact on communities and iconic landscapes.”

Epuron’s proposed Western Plains Wind Farm on the Stanley Peninsula will include 12 wind turbines towering four stories higher than the iconic Stanley Nut.

The company says the extremely windy location meant the Stanley wind farm would have the potential to produce the highest energy yield per turbine in Australia.

The Nut and Stanley Peninsula, northwest Tasmania. Picture: Supplied.

But locals say there are other windy places more suited to a wind farm.

“It will forever change this iconic Tasmanian landscape and heritage town. Many Stanley locals believe Stanley is worth saving, believing it is simply the wrong location for an industrial wind farm,” the group said.

“An Epuron representative will be speaking at the conference on “Achieving Tasmania’s Renewable Energy Target together”.

“We are here to tell Epuron that the community of Stanley do not stand ‘together’ with Epuron on their proposed Stanley Wind Farm.”

The group said it was concerned about Tasmania’s lack of regulation for renewable energy zoning locations and was asking the Tasmanian Government to follow the lead of other states and establish “No Go Zones” for important landscapes.

“We are asking the Tasmanian Government to create buffer zones between massive renewable energy infrastructure and our communities,” the group said.

Wind farm protesters at Stanley

“The Energy Infrastructure Commissioner recommends a 5km buffer zone, but our government is simply not listening.”

Owners of the award-winning Ship Inn in Stanley, Kerry and Alastair Houston, will attend a tourism conference at the same place in Devonport the day before the energy conference.

“The irony is not lost on us,” the couple said.

“On Tuesday we will be attending the Tourism symposium in the Paranaple Conference centre and enjoying cocktails with the Premier. On Wednesday protesting outside the same place, centre, trying to protect one of Tasmania’s iconic landscapes and stunning heritage townships”.