Quoting Pia Akerman, a journalist with The Australian newspaper, February 1, 2013: "A Victorian council has conceded that a wind farm development still in its early stages has slashed the land value of its neighbours and agreed their land rates should be cut."
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The wind farm in question is the Bald Hills wind farm in South Gippsland.
For a council to agree that land valuations will drop before a wind farm is even built proves, as has been known in the UK for many years, that wind farms are built to the financial detriment of those who are unfortunate enough to own land in their vicinity.
In South Gippsland, plans are in place to reduce the rates of one landowner before the 52 proposed wind turbines are erected.
As Ms Akerman further reports: "The neighbour ... has had his capital improved value reduced by 32 per cent."
My question to the Ballarat City Council is this. Can neighbours of the Waubra wind farm expect their rates to be reduced also?
After all, a precedent has now been set and this was one of the arguments that those who fought the wind farm argued - that sadly fell on deaf ears in the rush for cash and political gain.
LORETTA EDMONSTON
Waubra
