The social and economic impact of rural wind farms

Noise standards adopted by the states and territories for the planning and operation of rural wind farms should include appropriate measures to calculate the impact of low frequency noise and vibrations indoors at impacted dwellings. This is among seven recommendations made in this report on wind farms by Senate Community Affairs References Committee. On 27 October 2010, the Senate referred the following matter to the Committee for inquiry and report by 30 April 2011: The social and economic impacts of rural wind farms, and in particular: (a) any adverse health effects for people living in close proximity to wind farms; (b) concerns over the excessive noise and vibrations emitted by wind farms, which are in close proximity to people’s homes; (c) the impact of rural wind farms on property values, employment opportunities and farm income; (d) the interface between Commonwealth, state and local planning laws as they pertain to wind farms; and (e) any other relevant matters. The report is structured broadly to reflect the details of the committee\u27s terms of reference. Following a brief introduction, the Committee considers noise and any adverse health effects in Chapter 2, planning laws in Chapter 3 and property values, employment and farm income in Chapter 4. Photo: Keith Park / flick