Neighbour Noeleen Hazel, who with husband Bruce has lived for almost 60 years at their farm Kia Ora in Bookham, next door to one of the sites, says the situation is “devastating”.

“It will deface the unique landscape of the Coppabella Hills and cause environmental carnage,” she says.

“We’ve been fighting this for years. We can’t believe it was approved. It’s split the communities – any project needing to pay ongoing bribes to receive support obviously lacks authenticity.”

Among others who oppose the project, local John McGrath raised concerns about the changing air pressure on birds, asking: “If city people want this stuff, why don’t they put it on Bondi Beach?”