Council opts to submit on wind farm

Palmerston North will spend an unbudgeted $472,500 submitting on Mighty River Power's proposed Turitea Wind Farm.

At an extraordinary city council meeting yesterday afternoon, councillors voted unanimously to submit on the resource consent application.

The submission informs the Board of Inquiry considering MRP's application that the council will engage experts to carry out a full investigation into the effects of the wind farm, covering numerous topics, including landscape and visual impact, noise, and social impact.

City lawyer John Maassen will present the evidence at the hearing.

The $472,500 will go towards paying for the experts and legal counsel.

Councillors favoured the submission format, which will neutrally gather evidence, rather than supporting or opposing the project.

Concerns had been expressed over the council's neutrality, since it has a contractual agreement to lease land, and changed the status of the Turitea Reserve to allow electricity generation in 2006.

The council would have been the consenting authority, but the Ministry for the Environment called the project in, taking the process out of council's hands.

Councillors said it was necessary to provide thorough unbiased information for the board, to make sure the community's voice was heard.

Councillor Jim Jefferies said it was important the best evidence be collected for the submission, so an unslanted case was put forward.

"That evidence needs to be presented in a robust, independent, professional manner. In locating the experts to give those opinions . . . we need to look at their professional expertise, and not their point of view."

But some councillors expressed concerns over the cost, and where the money would be found.

Chief executive Paddy Clifford said staff would look at the books, and ways to pay would be brought to council for consideration.

Mr Maassen said it was an expense the council would have faced eventually.

Wind-farm guidelines were required for the district plan, and a lot of the work carried out for the submission would also be used in that process.

Further discussion saw councillors expressing opinions over the wind-farm project.

Bruce Wilson said he had been proud of turbines when they first appeared, but now disliked them.

"I didn't foresee the insidious stepping down the ranges that has already taken place, and this is just the next step."

Eventually Lew Findlay moved that the motion be put, ending discussion.

"There's been lots of grand standing and lots of hot air put out."

* Submissions for the Turitea Wind Farm close on Monday at 5pm.

More than 50 have already been received by the Ministry for the Environment.