Some residents in Richmond County are questioning how much of a buffer zone should exist
around wind turbines in the municipality.
During a public hearing last night in Arichat prior to the regular monthly meeting of Richmond Municipal Council, multiple residents asked why municipal council is calling for a setback of one kilometre when others, like the Municipality of the County of Kings, mandate a three-kilometre setback.
Eastern District Planning Commission Planner and Development Officer Mikayla Tait responded that Kings County has some of the most stringent rules in Nova Scotia governing the placement of turbines and that the one-kilometre zone is “pretty standard” across the province.
Tait went on to explain that a three-kilometre setback would not provide enough space for large scale wind energy development in the Point Tupper area.
The questions came after council introduced changes to the Richmond County Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use Bylaw to allow for utility scale wind turbines in an area of the municipality that is already zoned as heavy industrial.
Tait noted that the regulations surrounding the Port Hawkesbury Watershed were a “matter of concern” for council but the EDPC found they are not a major deterrent since large scale wind turbines and farms already require an environmental assessment approved by the Minister of Environment and Climate Change.
As a result of the approval of the first reading, second reading of the amendments will take place at the next regular monthly meeting on Oct. 23.