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Blow that!: neighbours fuming

20/8/2020

18 Comments

 
PictureSurf Beach residents told council can't stop erection of a wind turbine in a residential area.
By Catherine Watson
 
THINKING of erecting a mini wind farm in your back yard? Your neighbours might not be too happy but there’s nothing they – or the council – can do to stop you provided the turbines are under 11 metres.
 
That’s the situation for residents of Dixon Street, in Surf Beach, where a property owner is erecting a 10 metre wind turbine just metres from neighbouring houses.
 
When the neighbours appealed to the council for help they were told there is nothing the council can do because the owner is within his rights.

​At Wednesday’s council meeting, 10 questions came from Surf Beach residents perplexed at the lack of council action. Concerns included the noise, vibrations and the impact on birds.  

If it was legal to erect a wind turbine in a suburban back yard, several asked, was there anything to stop someone from erecting several, making a virtual wind farm?
That question went unanswered, though council CEO Ali Wastie acknowledged the concerns of the community and said the council was taking them seriously.
 
She said that under the Bass Coast Planning Scheme the owner did not need a planning or building permit because the land was zoned residential, the turbine was under 11 metres in height and would be used to power the existing house.
 
“We believe it’s unfortunate that as it stands a planning permit is not required. Quite frankly it’s not good enough.

​“As CEO I’ve written to senior planning directors within the State Government to highlight the lack of controls within the state controls and requested amendments to planning schemes to enable council review and oversight of domestic wind turbines.”
State policy
While there are multiple constraints on where wind turbines can be erected in the state, the State Government’s policy and planning guidelines for development of wind energy facilities in Victoria (March 2019) state that prohibitions on wind energy facilities do not apply to “turbines on land in a residential zone, an industrial zone, a commercial zone or a special purpose zone that are integrated as part of the development.  This allows for the consideration of turbines in an urban setting which would allow for the generation of electricity to support the energy needs of a dwelling, industry, business or the like on the land.” 
Ms Wastie said she had also contacted the owner to ensure he was aware of community concerns.
 
Island Ward councillor Stephen Fullarton said it was ridiculous that a “commercial style” wind turbine could be erected next to houses in a tight residential situation.
 
“When you look at what’s happening in South Gippsland where the turbines are kilometres away and they’re screaming blue murder about those, it can’t be allowed. We have to find a way of fixing it.” ​
18 Comments
Peter Bogg
22/8/2020 10:24:41 am

Perhaps the community could get together and build one monster wind turbine for everyone to benefit from. The Daylesford community did this and it must have been successful as last time I was up there, they had built a second one.

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Jan Fleming
22/8/2020 11:09:53 am

Unfortunately a Shearwater rookery is situated opposite.
.Birds taking off and returning every morning and evening are likely to be flying into the blades as happens with the power lines.

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Sue Saliba
22/8/2020 11:31:26 am

This is absolutely terrible. Thanks for pointing this appalling fact out, Jan.

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Elizabeth (Libby) M. Lambert
22/8/2020 03:07:35 pm

We lived near acres of wind turbines near Texel in Netherlands.Plenty of seabirds about, walked the dogs under the wind turbines and trust me, the place was not littered with dead birds. Birds fly with updraughts and the turbulence from the turning wind vanes would mean birds avoided the wind turbines like the plague.

Tess
22/8/2020 01:02:29 pm

By painting one blade black, wind farms can reduce bird deaths by 72% a recent Norwegian study has found. Could this be a solution Jan?https://www.evwind.es/2020/08/21/bird-deaths-from-wind-turbines-drop-by-72-per-cent-when-one-blade-is-painted-black/76686

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Elizabeth (Libby) M. Lambert
22/8/2020 02:33:54 pm

I wonder if people would prefer a nuclear power station next door instead of a wind turbine ? Would they complain if their neigbour planted a local eucalypt species which would grow to 10 metres plus within a few years, and when the wind whistling through its branches would be at least as noisy as the vanes of the wind turbine turning ?

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Bernie Mccomb
22/8/2020 04:15:04 pm

Noise from wind turbines is mostly a function of tip speed. This one looks no more than 10kW with blades no more than 3m. Standing under the 6 turbines in Wonthaggi, even on windy day, noise is not a big deal at all. In extreme winds, which could be noisy, blades are orientated to not catch wind and are stopped for no noise. There was this kind of wind turbine, owned by Ruth Partridge on the Island, no noise to worry about.

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Jan Fleming
22/8/2020 06:10:45 pm

I am not against wind turbines but not next to a Shearwater rookery.
Shearwaters are also called Moonbirds, The juveniles use the moon as a compass when flying every year to Siberia, leaving at night, A lot are killed on the bridge at San Remo, more recently the lights are turned off for the few weeks it takes for them to leave.
When they are here they leave early morning to feed usually in the dark, they return in the evening at dusk. Outside lights are not encouraged of an evening on the Esplanade at Surf Beach, how will they see a wind turbine? .

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Elizabeth (Libby) M. Lambert
22/8/2020 07:20:39 pm

They will not need to see them, they will feel the air turbulence from the rotating vanes and not go anywhere near them. hey are no more likely to fly into static vanes than crash into a tree.

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Robyn Smith
23/8/2020 09:49:20 am

The use of renewable energy is sound, I think the Daylesford scheme works well, and if it has gotten to the stage where residents are building turbines in their own yards it is time we upped the push for more community wind farms in nice windy places of which Bass Coast abounds. I lived in Surf Beach for many years and agree also the wether you call them Mutton Birds, Moon Birds or Shearwaters rookeries are important also.

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K. & M. Nair
23/8/2020 03:24:03 pm

We are fully supportive of wind energy, but turbines must be installed in appropriate locations. The backyard of a property in a built up, residential area is not an appropriate location.
No permits are currently required and Council must take action to put regulations in place to ensure that turbines are installed safely, and that the amenity of the neighbourhood, the health of residents and the preservation of wildlife are not impacted. Limits should be set on the number of turbines that can be erected on any one site.

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Bernie Mccomb
23/8/2020 05:40:30 pm

Me again, small turbines generally more trouble than they’re worth, can’t get clear air at useful speed anywhere near house or trees in suburban block. Power generated (and noise) is function of cube of size. Twice as big doesn’t mean twice the power but 2*2*2=8 times. In the real world, especially at top of high tower, 10 times bigger means 10*10*10=1000 times more power. Small proposed might be 6m diameter utility size generally 80m or more.

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Brian carr link
24/8/2020 02:27:33 pm

A vertical wind turbine is a much better proposition.

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Ben Cavender
23/8/2020 09:28:03 pm

Your article is missing a number of facts.
1. Will it be free standing?
2. How tall is the house and/neighbouring houses?
3. What does the model look like?

The picture included is NOT an accurate representation and only insights confusion and unrest amongst your readers. Please consider reporting the benifits of using facts when reporting on polarizing issues.

NB. I don't know this resident

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Catherine Watson
25/8/2020 07:00:55 pm

Point taken, Ben. The illustration was just a simple graphic image, not a representation of the turbine in question, which hasn't been built yet. No one knows what it will look like because the owner doesn't have to submit plans or apply for a permit. The only thing we know is that the turbine is under 11 metres because taller than that he does have to get a permit. But there will be a huge difference between a turbine with three-metre blades and a turbine with 50cm blades.

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Monika
25/8/2020 05:07:11 pm

For all those in support of the wind turbine, would you feel that way if it were a few meters from your house, in your neighbour’s yard? This is a free-standing 3 storey wind turbine (similar to the photo shown). All the houses neighboring it are single storey. This will even be higher than power lines and most trees. Regardless of your views of wind energy, there should be planning and building permits required with the opportunity for neighbours to object and local environment to be considered. You can’t erect a flagpole without permits, yet an enormous industrial-looking electrical device is fine?

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Stan
25/8/2020 05:50:42 pm

Before retirement I worked at Swinburne university and they installed 2 turbine's one 20 mtrs from a aged care facility and has been turned off for years as noise and electronic interference with medical equipment was impacted . The second was outside the electronics class rooms has to be shut down because in strong winds the brakes automatically apply and vibrate causing a shuddering loud noise and this turbine will be about 7to 8 mtrs from our bedroom. This is totally against our amenity . I am not against wind farms just not on a suburban block of land

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Greg Dunn
11/9/2020 08:19:00 am

My suggestion would be for all the neighbours around the proposed site plant tall trees they grow a bit of should cut the wind down to make it totally useless sorry not being a big white elephant for the owner

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