“A solar farm is more akin to an industrial activity and is inconsistent with protecting the landscape values of the locality and the rural character and amenity as envisaged in the buffer area along the border of Yass Valley and the ACT,” one submission says.
The council also says the visual assessment for the proposal does not consider the nearby residential development of Ginninderry in the ACT, nor the future Parkwood development in NSW.
Winemaker Nick O’Leary strongly objected to the proposal on grounds it would decrease the value of his neighbouring property, which features 35 acres of vines, a 500-tonne winery and a cellar door.
“We have a thriving local winery community and the social and economic impacts would be significant if this project is approved,” O’Leary said.
The ACT Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate in its submission says the proposal “may have a level of visual impact on sensitive receivers in the ACT”.
“It is recommended that ongoing consultation with potentially affected sensitive receivers should continue, [as should] implementation of further mitigation measures to reduce visual impacts,” it says.
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In a report prepared in June, the NSW Planning Department says the critical assessment considerations will be “energy security, land use compatibility and visual amenity”.
The department recommends the project for approval with conditions, including that the project does not generate more than 32 heavy vehicle movements a day.
The IPC will hold a public meeting in Murrumbateman on July 28.