Mid-Western Regional Council general manager Warwick Bennett wrote to 500 residents in streets in Mudgee and Gulgong through which the oversized trucks could pass, asking them to support Mid-Western Regional Council’s call for the environmental assessment plan to be put back on public exhibition to allow affected residents to comment.

The proposed route of the wind farm components was not included in the original environmental assessment plan, which proposed components be transported via Hill End Road, Windeyer Road, Pyramul Road and up Aarons Pass Road to the wind farm site. 

Crudine Ridge Wind Farm Pty Ltd now wants to transport overweight loads from Newcastle via the Golden Highway and Castlereagh Highway through Medley Street, Gulgong, then to Mudgee, travelling through Market Street, Douro Street, Horatio Street and on the to Castlereagh Highway to Aarons Pass Road. 

Oversized loads, carrying the 75-metre-long turbine blades, would follow a similar route, but through Mudgee they would turn left at Cox Street, then right into Short Street, then right again onto Douro Street. 

The other option for oversized loads is to turn off the Golden Highway onto Ulan Road, travelling down Ulan Road to Mudgee township, turning left on to Short Street at the Lawson Park inters, then along Short Street, along the length of Lawson Street and on to Horatio Street.

Council this week adopted a resolution strongly opposing the transportation of oversized and overweight loads through the residential areas of Gulgong and Mudgee, and along Ulan Road. 

Council will demand that Crudine Ridge Wind Farm Pty Ltd use Hill End, Windeyer and Pyramul Roads and upgrade those roads accordingly to cope with the heavy traffic. 

Council will also write to the Department of Planning and Infrastructure, calling for the environmental assessment to be put back on public exhibition, and include residents’ submissions. 

A spokesman for council said yesterday that council was pleased with the response to its letter to residents.

While many of the submissions returned to council used the form letter provided by the general manager, around a third added their own comments.

Many of these stated that they were not opposed to wind farms, but did oppose heavy vehicles passing through the towns. 

Submissions also came from local residents not living in the affected streets, who had been made aware of the proposal by friends and relatives.

The council spokesman said any submissions received after today would be scanned and forwarded to the Department of Planning and Infrastructure.