Chairman of the Eastern Mount Lofty Ranges Landscape Guardians (EMLRLG) Tony Walker said, in order to rubber stamp the proposed wind farm development at Keyneton, Minister for Urban Planning John Rau is attempting to destroy over 40 years of Hill Face Zone protection and legislation.

Victorian-based company Pacific Hydro seeks to develop a wind farm on the Sedan ranges to involve 57 wind turbines.

Mr Walker said, “The proposed wind farm at Keyneton in the Mid Murray Council Hills Face Zone was a non-compliant development until Wednesday, September 28, when Mr Rau, in a dishonest and underhanded act, gazetted ‘wind farm’ as a compliant development in Hills Face Zones.”

However, a spokesperson for the Minister for Urban Development, planning says the group have it wrong.

“The interim DPA does not make wind farms a compliant development in the Hills Face Zone,” the spokesperson said.

“No formal application for the proposed wind farm at Keyneton has been received by the Development Assessment Commission - making it therefore only just a proposal.

“As a result of the interim DPA being placed in operation, if and when a formal application for such a development is submitted, it will be considered against the relevant development plan provisions and as such is likely to be located within a zone where these types of development are non-complying,” the spokesperson said.

EMLRLG (Inc) said they will continue to fight in order to stop the wind farm being developed.