Residents Question Development Of New West Coast Wind Farm

The government may have given the green light to a new wind farm on the West Coast, but locals are not happy.

The sizeable farm is set to be constructed in the West Coast peninsula near Vredenberg and St Helena Bay.

Residents opposing the development have questioned the validity of the environmental impact assessment which played a critical role in the wind farm being approved.

A representative of the concerned group, Peter Pickford, said job creation was listed as a major reason for the approval.

“The environmental assessment impact is being queried by the community. The creation of over 900 jobs is highly debatable.”

The Coastal and Environmental Services (CES) completed the assessment and maintains its validity.

According to the report, over 900 jobs will be created during the construction phase.

The assessor’s Maura Talbot said: “We did what we were required to do, and there were very detailed assessments done with many specialist studies. There will be a lot of jobs created during the construction period.”

EWN