4th March 2021
Wind Farm Living
Moyne Shire Councillors
Mayor Meade daniel.meade@moyne.vic.gov.au
Councillor Purcell james.purcell@moyne.vic.gov.au
Councillor Doukas jdoukas@moyne.vic.gov.au
Councillor Foster karen.foster@moyne.vic.gov.au
Councillor Lockett jordan.lockett@moyne.vic.gov.au
Councillor Smith ian.smith@moyne.vic.gov.au
Councillor Gleeson damian.gleeson@moyne.vic.gov.au
Dear Councillors,
RE: Open Letter to Moyne Shire Councillors; Ryan Corner – Strategic Planning
Dear Councillors, let me explain what you have voted not to do,
Once you realise that 40 decibels (40dB) of noise in a rural environment is a significant noise level, then you may have a better understanding of the turbine noise problems experienced by your constituents.
A wind farm may say they are noise compliant – but compliant with what level of noise?
Meeting with AGL Company Reps
Between 4.00pm and 6.00pm on Thursday 25th February, I met with AGL company representatives at the Vic Hotel in Port Fairy.
We sat in the armchair/couch area of the bistro lounge.
There was the usual background noise hum and buzz and kitchen rattle.
Although sympathetic to the plight of the people in Macarthur, one Company Rep continually made note that Macarthur wind farm “was compliant”, and suggested that “the old weatherboard houses” may be the root cause of the noise problems.
Then, just casually, he stated that the noise we were hearing from the bistro lounge, represented a 40dB level of noise.
I was shocked, flabbergasted, and alarmed. At that moment I realised what the complainants were actually complaining about.
No way could I sleep with that background buzz/hum/rattle at night. No way known!
Anecdotal Evidence
On Tuesday 9th February 2021, David Sweatman, a Dundonnell wind farm neighbour, explained to a Ryan Corner community, that “a 60dB level of noise, is like a lawn mower going in your lounge room”.
So, when a wind farm company says they are compliant – you have to ask “compliant with what?”.
Compliant with sleeping in the late afternoon bistro noise level of the Vic Hotel Port Fairy, or a lawn mower going in your loungeroom?
Remember that 40dB is not the maximum level a wind farm has to comply with.
It is a logarithmic adjusted average level. Wind farms can still claim “compliance” when noise levels hit 60dB in the bedroom at night.
And also remembering that this level of noise is the new background noise level wind farm neighbours will be condemned to sleep under.
This is significantly higher than the current 15-25dB levels they would be sleeping under now, in a peaceful rural amenity.
Strategic Planning
The Ryan Corner motion is not dead, it just needs “strategic planning”.
As part of the strategic planning could you please undertake the following:
- Meet together, just the Councillors, in the Vic Hotel bistro between the hours of 4.00pm and 6.00pm on a Thursday night and listen to the background buzz, hum and rattle, and ask yourself – could I sleep under this level of background noise?
Is this level of noise appropriate for rural living?
- Start up a lawn mower (brush it down first) in your lounge room – just for a few minutes, and ask yourselves – would that noise wake me up at night?
- Compare the benefit to the Ryan Corner community of investing 30k to ensure protection of their rural living amenity, with the 15k provided to the Port Fairy Bowling Club for their roof solar panels, the 15k that you easily approved soon after the Ryan Corner motion was voted down.
- Ask yourselves, have you been true to your campaign pledge to support the small rural communities of the Shire?
For your reflection:
Please find the link below to the exact time you threw the Ryan Corner community to the wolves – to fight, unsupported, against an Acoustical Company – Marshall Day Acoustics, who are defending charges of falsifying noise data in the Supreme Court of Queensland as we speak.
Item 11: Independent Noise Testing at Ryan Corner Wind Farm: @ 1:43:25 into the video.
https://www.moyne.vic.gov.au/Minutes-Agendas/Live (it may take some time to load – but it does eventually start).
Also, scroll down to read about your betrayal in our local newspaper.
Wind Farm Living, Moyne Shire
See: https://defrock.org/2021/03/04/push-for-noise-testing-rejected/
DeFrock 