Independent Planning Commission holds public meeting online for Walla Walla Solar Farm

Commissioners Andrew Hutton and Professor Zada Lipman have been appointed to determine the outcome of the application by FRV Services Australia for the 300 megawatt farm.

A public meeting is scheduled to take place online.

Thirty-two speakers are registered to present from 10am, with the meeting to break around midday and 2pm.

The meeting is scheduled to close at 4pm, and we will bring you proceedings as they happen.

3pm:

Like most points, the economic strength of the Walla Walla township has been disputed during the course of the public meeting.

FRV Services Australia said in their submissions report that "a number of other retail businesses have closed or reduced their trading hours and the local primary school struggles to retain sufficient pupil numbers. The proposal would provide a much needed injection into the town's economy".

Resident Jennifer Jacob said this was "untrue" and new businesses had opened in Walla.

"For a town our size, we have many long-standing businesses, all doing well because of agriculture ... without solar," she said.

"The deep divisions in our community are shocking. I'm very disappointed such an important proposal as this, especially with three others proposed in our shire, is virtual."

Rayne LeBusque said he was among the silent majority in the community who supported the project.

"It appears the company that's trying to put this project up is doing everything they can to alleviate that [aesthetic issues]," he said.

Mark Torrens of Walla Walla, who works in manufacturing for Mars Petcare, also monitors grain prices as part of his work and said the country was "marginal at best".

"It's pretty obvious in the recent years the rise in electricity prices has accelerated," he said.

"It's getting NSW to play catch-up with some of the solar developments Victoria's doing ... and will smooth out volatility in the market.

"Let's get on the front-foot."

Wagga resident Bill Schulz registered to speak to share the negative impacts from the Bomen Solar Farm.

He said the site next to his property and 200-year-old trees were effectively "clear felled".

"I noted that NGH have only had a couple visits to the site," he said.

"Their document is embarrassingly similar to what they proposed in Wagga, compared to what they've proposed in Walla.

"Seven megalitres of drinkable water was used to ameliorate the EPA's concerns [about dust] but didn't actually do anything to reduce the amount of dust coming off it.

"Firefighting on the site is a massive issue; they have provided one gate for us and you can't drive a fire truck up and down the rows, you can't turn a truck around safely."

Andrew Kotzur was the final speaker and said nobody would choose to replace the rural landscape with large-scale solar, but it was inevitable they would appear in more populated rural areas.

"Any approval needs to be provide a reasonable outcome. I think the community expects a reasonable buffer zone, the use of trees to screen, and ... making sure that screening is in place and maintained."

1pm:

Danny Phegan, one of the landowners that will lease land to FRV, described the argument about agricultural output loss as "frustrating".

He said there had been attempts to undermine the class rating system that had been described earlier in the meeting as outdated.

"The land simply isn't prime, the argument is defunct," he said.

"There's bee so much speculation about what type of land our farm is.

"It's low-lying, marginal country with frost risk for crops. This country was on the market for two-and-a-half years and went through two failed auction campaigns.

"It's always been better suited to grazing. This year is certainly a stand-out season."

12pm:

Stephen Feuerherdt, representing the Culcairn Southwest Rural Fire Brigade, raised the fire risk with volunteers not willing to enter such sites if a fire were to break out.

"Discussions have been held as to the method of combating a fire within this site and the risk to firefighters," he said.

"Members do not have the breathing apparatus or training to combat these fires.

"In December 2009, we witnesses a catastrophic fire that went from Gerogery to Walla Walla ... which resulted in a class action," he said.

"Last year we also witnessed the devastating fires in our shire."

Walla car dealer Kim Lieschke supports the Walla Solar Farm proposal and said that he had installed an electric car charger as technology evolves.

"Electric cars are coming and how good would it be to be charging them using renewable energy?" he said.

"If I can give my children and their children a better, more sustainable life by trying opportunities such as this solar farm, I am all for it.

"We have to consider and act on clean and more sustainable energy."

Bianca Schultz has a property which would have views of the development and fears it will not be rented.

"One of the houses that is listed as R1 by FRV is 78 metres from the boundary. We have 210 metres [as a setback]," she said.

"As the closets, most visually-impacted neighbour, we have been provided with the most minimal setback.

"If a fire is to start on a neighbouring property, i.e. from a header, where do we stand, as our insurance policies will not cover the solar project?"

11am:

Presentations from 30 members of the community are now beginning.

Andrew Williams is planing to lease about 90 hectares of land to FRV Services and said his land was class four.

"We care about what we do and we think that agriculture has a very bright future," he said.

"Our land will still produce food, by continuing sheep grazing.

"It has never been cropped by us but has been resold to pasture and continually fertilised.

"It has also been grazed by sheep and cattle."

He said solar infrastructure will consume about 15 per cent of the surface area of the land, with 85 per cent being available for sheep grazing.

Orange Grove Gardens owner Trish Feuerherdt said she had built a hay wall to replicate the intended screening of the solar panels, showing there would still be issues.

"The EIS has within 10 years the tree line would be four metres high, which is less than that of the hay wall," she said.

"We were told it was great for the community, they were putting in squirrel boxes, removing barbed wire from the top of the fence ... we were told to tell customers it [the panels] would look like a vineyard."

"The EIS is a 361 page document and we are expected to trawl through to find the answers."

She said March this year was the "breaking point" for her and her neighbours.

"We were advised by FRV that in our best interests, they had an agreement from the landowner they could start planting boundary tree lines," she said.

"We felt like we were being bullied, trampled on."

Nic Conway and Josh Godde raised the employment and development opportunities.

"What I've seen a solar farm bring to a local community is unbelievable," Mr Godde said.

"Once the people come to town, the community actually can see it is a good thing."

10am:

NSW DPIE Executive Director Energy and Resource Assessments Mike Young is the first speaker.

He said FRV Services was proposing to pay Greater Hume Council $2.2 million over the life of the project.

"The disturbance footprint is 421 hectares ... it is a large scale project. Investment is also large, almost $400 million," he said.

He said 150 submissions was a large amount of submissions to the project, compared to other solar proposals.

"My understanding is while changes to the project have addressed some of those concerns ... it [The Greater Hume Council] maintains its format objection to the project," Mr Young said.

Mr Young showed a simulation of the view from Orange Grove Gardens, which represented old plans, and addressed concerns about agriculture.

"You can see that the red is designed to indicate the previous location of the potential solar panels from the function centre. That red area ... would be pushed back a further 1km, I think," he said.

"There's a significant improvement in that potential view, in addition there would also be significant vegetation buffers.

"Even if all four projects were approved, it would make up around 2300 hectares of disturbance [to agricultural land], noting of course there would be requirements to maintain some level of agricultural activity.

"It's not class 1, class 2 or class 3 [land]. That's not to say it's not important or productive land, and in recognition of that ... around 15 per cent of the site or almost 100 hectares would be retained ... for cropping.

"There will also be sheep grazing."

He said a Shepparton study had indicated there would not be an impact of "heat island effect" beyond 30 metres from the solar panels.

"Any localised heat island effect wouldn't go anywhere near any residence or indeed other people's land."

Mr Young said it was important to note 42 per cent of submissions supported the project.

IN OTHER NEWS:

FRV Services Australia's team including Cliona Gormley also spoke.

"There is no planet B, it is imperative we gain our energy from clean and renewable energy," she said.

"Our team has worked really hard to accommodate neighbour concerns.

"There were three main access points proposed ... concerns were raised from neighbours for the unnecessary travel of vehicles along Benambra Road.

'What FRV has done is closed the three main access points and created one main access point in the north eastern corner.

"We will now retain 15 out of the 17 dams on site. FRV have proposed 120 nesting boxes throughout the project.

"Originally there wasn't any setbacks proposed ... in particular for Orange Grove Gardens, a setback of 1.8 kilometres has been proposed."

Ms Gormley said the plantings in proposed vegetation screenings went "above and beyond" what you might see for other large-scale solar developments

"We continue to welcome dates from Orange Grove Gardens for weddings ... we can take that into consideration during the construction management plan," she said.

"There is no evidence of any devaluation of properties located next to solar farms.

"We find time and time again that property prices are not based on the neighbouring land."

FRV Services' Mark Love clarified to Professor Zada Lipman that the internal road proposed for the site would be 45 metres wide and that all vehicles needed for construction would use it.

She also sought to know what the $10,000 energy contribution offer was for three receptors.

"When did this happen, is it a formal agreement, has it been accepted and what does it actually involve?" she asked.

Ms Gormley said it was provided a number of months ago and could have been used for energy bills or solar rooftop installation.

"We haven't had an acceptance from any of the three receptors," she said.