'Scars' from wind farm issue

Save Central, an Otago-based environmental group, is right behind the Government's support for protecting outstanding and natural landscapes from the future development of wind generation.

Commenting on the National Policy Statement for Renewable Electricity Generation released last week, Save Central co-ordinator Graye Shattky said in a statement this week the new requirement to have 'particular regard' to the reversibility of adverse environmental effects is likely to rule out future consideration of outstanding and natural landscapes for any major wind farm projects.

"In theory it may be feasible to remove turbines and pylons, but the network of roads, access tracks and laydown areas will remain as scars on the landscape for hundreds, if not thousands of years," Mr Shattky said.

The group supported the policy's requirement local authorities allowed small, sensitively-located, community-scale-oriented generation from renewable resources, but was still worried that Central Otago's outstanding landscapes remained unprotected for the present.

The Central Otago District Council needed to change the district plan to ensure outstanding landscapes were protected from industrial development, Mr Shattky said.

Central Otago mayor Malcolm Macpherson said the landscapes were already protected to a certain degree and changes to the district plan were being worked through, following issues raised through the Blue Print Study.