A proposed wind farm for the mid-north of South Australia has been rejected.
After an extraordinary meeting lasting almost six hours, Goyder Council’s Development Assessment Panel rejected TruEnergy’s proposed Stony Gap wind farm, near Burra.
It is the first time a wind farm application has been rejected at council level under the SA Government’s legislation passed last year.
The panel made its decision based on noise-related health concerns.
It heard from 15 people who spoke against the plan and about how it would directly affect them.
TruEnergy said it was disappointed its application had been rejected.
It can appeal to the Environment, Resources and Development Court and is now considering whether to do so.
The company will be allowed to retain an 81-metre temporary wind monitoring mast in the area until the end of 2014.
Opponents of the Stony Gap plan said the rejection came as a surprise and a relief.
Tracey Mitchell said the potential health and environmental effects would have been significant.
“[I am] just relieved because it’s just put so much stress, it’s hung over us for years and now the stress has finally lifted we got our first good night’s sleep for a long time,” she said.
