Members of the Concerned Local Citizens group (CLC) say the fight against a pumped hydro facility in the Lithgow area has just begun.
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This follows Lithgow City Council's approval of Energy Australia's development application for nine boreholes at Lake Lyell.
During the public forum at council's July 25 meeting, locals expressed their concerns about what the proposal would mean if it lead to a pumped hydro facility development.
Councillors took into consideration the views and information the public shared before ultimately moving the motion to approve the development.
During the meeting, councillor Daryl Goodwin said if the application were to have been voted down, it would only have delayed the approval process.
"As a council, if we reject this motion, Energy Australia will appeal this in the Land and Environment Court and they will have a good chance of winning. We are only approving boreholes, not the pumped hydro scheme," councillor Goodwin said.
"If we were to lose in the Land and Environment Court, some months down the track this DA would be approved and our financially struck council will have to pay the legal costs, plus the legal costs of Energy Australia."
The majority of the public gallery left the meeting once the motion was passed.
Ray Smith, a CLC member, said the group is under the impression the approval of boreholes is the first stage of a pumped hydro facility in the area.
"We want people in the community to know the full effects of what it [pumped hydro facility] will do," he said.
"If this is the first stage of it, what's the next stage going to be? The side effects? What might happen to the long term use of the dam and the people who use it?"
According to Mr Smith, there is still a long road ahead for both the CLC and the council, with the matter to eventually fall into the hands of the State Government.
"We're positive that we know it's [pumped hydro facility] going to go to New South Wales, and we're just ready to fight on. We're not backing away from that," he said.
Read more like this: Residents share concerns about potential Lake Lyell pumped hydro facility
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Reidun Berntsen
Reidun is a Journalist and writer who lives in a country town 3 hours from Sydney, Australia. From a young age, Reidun has been in love with words and the infinite possibilities they bring. Stories, features and poems have been a major part of her writing career.
Reidun is a Journalist and writer who lives in a country town 3 hours from Sydney, Australia. From a young age, Reidun has been in love with words and the infinite possibilities they bring. Stories, features and poems have been a major part of her writing career.
