Guidelines wanted on wind farm sites

Hastings will join Palmerston North and Waikato in lobbying for national guidelines on the siting of wind farms.

Both Palmerston North and Hastings have come under pressure in recent years from power generators wanting to put large numbers of turbines on hilltops, and both expect more applications.

Hastings District Council resource manager Mike Maguire said the ad hoc processing of wind farm applications was unfair to communities, "very conflict-ridden, and is also very costly for councils, applicants and submitters".

Palmerston North City Council had just spent $500,000 preparing for a hearing on a wind farm proposal even though it was being processed at ministerial level. The Government's national policy statement on renewable energy extolled the benefits but did not cover the downside of wind farms, he said.

Palmerston North wanted consistent national standards governing the areas where wind farms would be allowed, a minimum distance that turbines could be placed from private residences, and a maximum number of turbines on any skyline.

Hastings wanted specific controls on where turbines could be placed, and allowable levels of noise and vibration.

The national standards proposal will be presented as a remit to Local Government NZ's conference in Christchurch in July.

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