Bendemeer residents will get the chance to speak directly to the decision-makers on a proposed 200-megawatt solar farm near the village, after more than 100 objections sent the project to the NSW Independent Planning Commission.
The Commission will hold a public meeting at Bendemeer Town Hall on Saturday, 5 December, and is also taking written submissions until Sunday, 13 December.
Athena Energy Australia (Holdings) Pty Ltd has lodged a State significant development application (SSD-36651552) to build and run the solar farm, with energy storage and associated infrastructure, about 46 kilometres northeast of Tamworth in the Tamworth Regional Council area.
The Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure has finished its whole-of-government assessment and referred the application to the Commission. The Commission is the decision-maker because the Department received more than 100 public submissions objecting to the project.
Commissioners Sarah Dinning, Duncan Marshall, and Mike Smart have been appointed to determine the application.
Key issues identified in the Department’s assessment include land-use compatibility, biodiversity, visual impact, traffic, cumulative impacts on accommodation and workforce, and public benefit.
The Commission already has all written submissions made to the Department, but it wants to hear what locals think of the Department’s Assessment Report and recommended conditions. Both are available on the Commission’s website.
There are two ways to have your say:
Registered speakers will be asked whether they would prefer to present in person at the hall or by phone. If demand for either option is low, the Commission may run the meeting entirely in person or entirely online. Registered speakers would be told in advance, including how the Commission can help them attend virtually.
The meeting will be livestreamed on the Commission’s YouTube channel.
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