I wonder how many people have heard about Kingaroy’s latest Solar farm being constructed by the Greek company Mytilineos starting in August this year. It is being constructed just over 1 kilometre from Swickers on Kingaroy Barkers Creek Rd. It will be surrounding the little community settled around prime agricultural land. There are 16 homes directly being affected by the solar farm, mostly owned by elderly residents or retirees that have either lived there all their lives or brought their dream retirement homes. The area is ideal for retirement being only kilometres from hospital, doctors and shopping. Are the people of Kingaroy aware of the effect the solar farm will have on many more people? Residents from Tessmans Rd, Sonaree Dr, Geale St, Noel St, and Curtis Rd, and many roads of off Tessman Rd that currently overlook the beautiful farm land with trees and grazing cattle will soon be over looking the eyesore of solar panels. Is this what you wanted for a view when you built your beautiful homes? Residents of Redmans Rd, Kingaroy Barkers Creek Road, Clarke Swensson Rd, and the road coming from Nanango through Booie over the range to Kingaroy, you will be affected by increased traffic with trucks bringing supplies, noise, dust and ever growing road deterioration. Is this why you brought your home, to have your serenity interrupted?
Mytilineous have promised a treed buffer, how do you tree a hill that rises higher than flat ground, we will still see the ugly panels, no trees would be high enough, and grow fast enough to cover the ugly panels.
The solar farm will affect, in every way the ambience of this rural community. Increased traffic, increased heat from panels, dust from construction and a stripped bare landscape, clearing of beautiful trees that house our koalas, bird life and insects, bared ground that now houses ant eaters and other critters, what will become of them?
They are planning on changing the water course to level the land, anyone that has been on that road during heavy rains has seen the amount of water that rushes through there, where will it go too now ? There will be constant noise from the pounding in of pylons ,and who knows what drilling or pounding will do to the foundations of existing residences? We will also be unable to get away from that noise. The substation is to be built between two residences, the owners having lived in those homes for many years. What a horrid thing to do to these people just wishing to live out their lives in peace.
Our property prices will be affected, the company itself have told us that our values will drop from 10 to 18 percent. Who are they to think that that wouldn’t affect our mental state and our peace of mind. Kingaroy, this solar farm will affect our community including you in some way. You will not get cheaper power, that question has been asked. Kingaroy, do you care enough about your neighbours and your way of life to try to stop this disruption to life as we know it? We have formed a Community group to help us get answers and a fair go. We are not against solar farms in any way, but they should be built on harsh land, not prime land, and they should not affect Communities. They are not making any more good farming land, when it has all gone, then the world will suffer.
We as citizens have earned our retirement, shouldn’t we be able to live as we planned, IN PEACE.
Anyone wishing for more information or to attend our meetings or see the maps please feel free to email me on tarenlee2@yahoo.com.au
Regards,
Karen Mansbridge, Kingaroy
READ: Desley Benecke shares her opinion on the solar farm in this letter: burnetttoday.com.au/south/2022/07/11/opinion-kingaroy-solar-farm-what-will-it-really-give-our-community/
MORE DETAILS: Here’s the rundown from the latest community meeting on the solar farm: burnetttoday.com.au/news/2022/07/07/residents-look-for-answers-around-solar-farm/
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