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A NEIGHBOUR has hit out after a man built a 36ft wind turbine in his back garden, fearing it could topple over and kill him.
Professional electrician Rob McKittrick said the structure was part of an extensive renewable energy system on his property on Victoria’s Phillip Island, Australia, which includes solar panels.
He said the project was the culmination of 11 years of research.
However, his neighbours have complained to the local council about it.
Mr McKittrick told ABC’s A Current Affair: “I’m qualified to do this. We need to do this and I’m doing this for the right reasons.
“If people aren’t happy, then they’re environmentally irresponsible.”
He added: “I don’t understand why people limit themselves to where they can do great things. I’ve got kids, I’m going to leave a world for them. This is all part of it. We’ve got to do everything we can.”
His neighbours are less than impressed, with one saying he is fearful the huge wind turbine could fall over and someone could get killed.
Chris Broadley, who lives two doors down from Mr McKittrick, said: “I just don’t feel relaxed down here anymore, since that went up.
“People say, ‘Oh well, you will get used to it’. But I don’t think you should have to.”
He added: “It’s so big. If it fell over it would fall to the neighbour’s place most likely and you know, someone could be killed.”
But Mr McKittrick responded by saying safety features had been installed to guard against any dangerous winds.
He said: “There’s an ultra-high sensor to sense the high-speed winds and there’s a break that stops the turbine.”
Another neighbour Ian Justa said some in the surrounding community were worried about the noise the turbine would emit.
“Everybody is petrified that they’ll be kept awake at night by the sounds of a wind turbine,” he said.
“There’s a gentleman who lives next door who has some health issues with his heart. I checked in on him and his hands are literally shaking with anxiety,” Mr Justa said.
Mr McKittrick said he presented an extensive dossier to the local council.
“I’ve presented a document to council, it’s got soil reports, engineers’ reports, bird sanctuary zoning, noise information. It shows that solar panels aren’t enough with the system I’ve got there.”
He also dismissed concerns from neighbours that he built the turbine as a commercial enterprise.
“The solar does not go to the grid, it just goes to the batteries for self-consumption.
“The fact is I was allowed to put the turbine up, I went and got the appropriate qualifications.”
COMPLAINTS TO COUNCIL
The local council said it had received complaints about the structure but confirmed it was within the building codes.
Bass Coast Shire Council boss Ali Wastie said: “Unfortunately, council has no power to address the proposed issues associated with the installation of the structure.
“The only authority that can intervene to support and address the community’s concerns is the State Government.”
Town planner Bill Kusznirczuk from Clement Stone has called for a standardised code when it comes to domestic “micro-renewables,” such as the turbine.
“There’s a gap in the planning and building provision, as they relate to micro-renewables and as they relate to domestic wind turbines,” Kusznirczuk said.
He added he thought domestic turbines would become more common in the future.
Mr Kusznirczuk said: “Rob won’t be the lone ranger. There’ll be more, they’ve just got to be put in the right place.”
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