By Matt Dunn

SOUTH Gippsland Shire Council mayor Jim Fawcett has publicly apologised for failing to reveal the State Government’s plans to increase the height of wind farm turbines by 25 metres at Bald Hills.

Cr Fawcett said the breakdown in communication was “an obvious mistake on our part”.

Planning Minister Justin Madden’s plans were only revealed last week, despite a letter being sent to Cr Fawcett on December 16 last year.

The development was revealed in last week’s Star.

“The issue, quite deservedly, has been covered in the press. Council and particularly myself, hasn’t been overly diligent in handling this,” he told a council meeting last Wednesday.

The council chambers were crowded with residents who have fought against the wind farm plans for the past eight years and only learnt about the massive height increase through the media.

“I’d like to put a few things on the record regarding the latest information concerning the height of the wind generators at the proposed Mitsui Bald Hills wind farm,” Cr Fawcett said.

“We received the Minister’s letter, which is dated December 16, 2009. Council has dated it as received on January 4, 2010. I saw that letter sometime in the middle of January. I urge you to understand there were coastal issues and council was on leave for at least a week from Christmas Day to New Year’s Day.

“The letter should have raised, in my mind, concerns for both the community and councillors and I failed to see that. I apologise to both the community and ward councillors that I didn’t do that (pass the information on).”

Mr Fawcett said council was in recess and CEO Tim Tamlin was on leave at the time of the correspondence from Mr Madden.

“We incorrectly expected, and we shouldn’t have done this, that the Minister’s office would make an announcement regarding the approval. But this was no excuse for not communicating the decision at that time,” he said.

“There is undoubtedly genuine concern about how those changes will impact on the adjacent community and I encourage you to write to the Minister for Planning to register your

concerns.”

Bald Hills wind farm objector Don Fairbrother, who has a property near the proposed site, addressed Cr Fawcett after the apology.

“Mr Mayor, I’ve always believed in accepting apologies and I appreciate your honesty there. But having said that it has been a ‘stuff up’ basically,” he said.

Speaking after the meeting Mr Fairbrother said he “had always believed that when something goes wrong and someone apologises you always accept it.

“My initial reaction was, when I found out a week ago, that it would prejudice any sort of legal challenge. But I believe council has recovered very well tonight,” he said.

He was buoyed by councillors voting to write to Mr Madden and Mitsui expressing its disapproval of the plan. It was also agreed that council would “obtain a legal opinion” on appealing the decision. Cr Bob Newton opposed the plan, making the point that it could entail a “heck of a lot of legal costs”.

“It could come back to bite us on the bum,” he said.

Leader of the Nationals Peter Ryan said Mr Madden had secretly changed plans on the wind farm.

“Not only was this decision taken without any consultation with the local community, but the Minister also signed off on the planning permit before the proper studies were conducted,” he said.

He is demanding an Environmental Effects Statements (EES) on the proposed height increase. 

“The government would have us believe that an increase of 25 metres in height is not a significant alteration to the project but the original panel report made its findings on the basis ‘the height to turbine zenith would not exceed 110 metres,’” he said. 

Mr Ryan said the Brumby Government could not be trusted to manage the project in the interests of the

community.

“The Minister has been negligent on two counts: he has failed his moral obligations to consult with and properly inform the community and he has failed to follow due process,” Mr Ryan said.

“The Brumby Government well knows that the Bald Hills Wind Farm has been trenchantly opposed by those who live in this beautiful area.

“The Minister has done everything possible to hide what he knew would be an unpopular decision from the public. At the very least, the Brumby Government has an obligation to make a copy of the planning permit publicly available.”

But Mr Ryan believes the public would eventually have its say. 

“Gippslanders won’t forget the arrogant treatment they have received at the hands of this government,” he said.