A farmer who works on her husband’s family property — second-closest to the proposed Slopedown wind farm — is questioning why she has been left off the consultation list while others much further away have been included.
She has also wondered why Contact Energy volunteered to take out three turbines and a monitoring mast in its previous application but had now put them back in for the fast-track process.
Farmer Carlyn Stewart said her husband’s family property would be less than 3km from the site and turbines would be clearly seen from it.
Under fast-track legislation, adjacent properties are automatically included in the consultation process.
But Mrs Stewart said their Redan Valley property was not adjacent as there was a piece of the Catlins Conservation Park and stewardship land between their property and the wind farm site.
As individuals they were some of the most affected "yet we can’t speak", she said.
She said those further away and not adjacent to the site had been picked by the applicant to make submissions.
Those landowners had previously given submissions under the first Covid-19 recovery fast-track legislation.
Her family also had but appeared to have been left out now by the applicant.
"I can’t see, looking at the map, how that’s any different to us."
The query was taken to Contact Energy but she said the company just gave the standard response, and she was unhappy she was not allowed to apply.
She was also unhappy that Contact Energy has brought back three turbines into its fast-track plan which had been dropped in the application under the Covid-19 legislation.
She said those were the turbines she would directly see from her property and would be viewed driving right up the valley.
"But that’s not covered in the landscape assessment."
Contact Energy, though, said in its reply to a query from the fast-track panel it never actually deleted the three turbines from the proposal under the previous hearing process.
The three turbines are the only ones on Glencoe Station.
Contact Energy said the locations of the three turbines were very well suited for wind and alone could power 7500 households, bigger than Gore.
The power company said in the previous process it wanted to have all 55 turbines but if it had to it would get rid of the three turbines on Glencoe Station. But the Covid-19 legislation panel, in its decision, said Contact Energy had "offered" to delete the three turbines.
Contact rejected that, saying its preference both with the layout and financially was to have 55 turbines. It did not have any "sacrificial" turbine sites and that was its position.
