Wind Power Community Policy

Wind Power is committed to undertaking comprehensive community consultation to establish and grow support with surrounding communities and Municipalities for all its projects. Wind Power undertakes a series of workshops to establish local community values. These values guide the design of the wind farms.

Wind Power endeavours to support local community groups/clubs and initiatives as part of its projects. A community consultation program is developed in discussion with expert consultants, the Department of Sustainability and Environment, the local municipality and community groups. This program will combine requirements to: provide information, seek input from the community within and surrounding the proposed project boundary, and gain an understanding of what people value and how values may be protected. In addition the Wind Power will aim to gain an understanding of community landscape values to be incorporated into a landscape assessment process.

The general aims and principles of the consultation process will be to:

foster a sense of ownership of the process and outcomes;
meet the needs of the planning framework/agencies;
promote the sharing of knowledge between all parties;
create a better understanding of community interest and values;
gather local insight into all aspects a project, including its setting;
inform the community of the nature and effects of a proposal, allowing them to make informed, appropriate responses;
help determine community attitudes and levels of acceptability;
help identify and address the concerns of all interested and affected parties;
and help explore options that have the least effect on key stakeholders.

In order to maximise the benefits of community involvement, the approach to consultation will employ techniques that will:

encourage active rather than passive involvement;
be meaningful to all parties;
be inclusive;
build credibility, rapport, trust and confidence;
educate and increase awareness;
and utilise listening and feedback.

The key steps in the process are summarised below.
Department of Sustainability and Environment, Municipalities and Wind Power agree on the community consultation program and other studies
Build a stakeholder list
Distributed a community information flyer and workshop invitation
Hold Meetings, conduct phone interviews and discussions to determine issues and values
Conduct a Values, Issues and Design Workshop
Input community feedback into the preliminary project design
Distribute a secondary community information flyer including: workshop outcomes, questions and answers and a preliminary project design
Receive feedback on the preliminary design, conduct follow up discussions
Assess the appropriates of the site subsequent to the consultation process and if it is determined for the project to proceed then feed community input into the final wind farm design
Complete a Community Consultation Report for a planning application

Last Updated 17/01/2008