Proposed wind farm threatens century-old trees at Anzac memorial near Oberon

Global Power Generation’s own study indicates that trucks delivering turbines for the 47-unit Paling Yards Wind Farm would brush against twelve century-old desert ash trees that line the O'Connell Anzac Memorial Avenue near Oberon. The trees, planted in the 1920s to honor 66 local World War I servicemen and women, could lose branches up to 1.25 m in length, though the report claims trunks would remain intact. Heritage advocates, including Kathy Manton of the Community Guardians and resident Chris Muldoon, contend that any loss of canopy is permanent and desecrates the memorial.

The wind farm, designed to power roughly 100,000 homes, also faces scrutiny for posing a very high risk to endangered species such as the gang-gang cockatoo. The proposal has been referred to the National Environmental Protection Agency and will be decided by the Independent Planning Commission after more than 280 community submissions. Mitigation suggested in the study relies on slow driving and visual monitoring, a measure critics deem insufficient.