A controversial wind farm proposal near Oberon is facing fierce community opposition after a study revealed that transporting massive wind turbines will physically impact a historic avenue of 100-year-old World War I memorial trees.

Global Power Generation (GPG) is seeking approval for the 47-turbine Paling Yards Wind Farm south of Oberon. While the project promises to generate enough clean energy to power roughly 100,000 homes with its 240-meter-tall turbines, the logistics of moving these colossal structures has ignited local outrage.

A Sacred Local Legacy at Risk

A transport study commissioned by GPG revealed that the oversized heavy vehicles carrying the turbines will make physical contact with 12 of the 120 desert ash trees lining the O'Connell Anzac Memorial Avenue. Planted between 1925 and 1927, the avenue is a sacred tribute honoring 66 local men and women who served in the Great War. The avenue was formally recognized for its historical significance and added to the Oberon Local Heritage list in April 2026.

According to GPG's report, which utilized remote sensing technology to simulate the transport route, the trucks will make contact of between 50 centimeters and 1.25 meters with the trees. The study concluded the impact would be "limited to leaves and minor branches" with "no impact on tree trunks and major branches."

However, local conservationists and community members are calling those findings unacceptable.

Kathy Manton, representing the Community Guardians of the O'Connell Anzac Memorial Avenue, warned that the damage would be permanent. "They're 100-year-old trees... they won't grow back from wherever they're damaged or cut," Manton said. "The limbs are so brittle, so if they're cut to allow the passing of oversized trucks through, then that canopy is lost forever."

Chris Muldoon, a resident and member of the Oberon Against Wind Towers group, described the study's findings as "damning."

"This is a memorial that celebrated its centenary this year; it is a significant local memorial for people who served in the Great War," Muldoon said. "It is not just the environmental impact on the trees, it is the fact they're desecrating an Anzac memorial. These trees are sensitive... They were grown as seedlings from the Middle East. This is not just a run-of-the-mill row of plain trees; these are special trees."

Proposed Mitigations and Rerouting

To address the potential damage, the developer's report recommended that trucks travel "slowly" past the historic avenue and be "visually monitored" at contact points to ensure branches are not caught or dragged. Community members have roundly rejected these proposed safety measures as insufficient.

The controversy follows major logistical changes to the project. GPG originally planned to haul the turbines through Mudgee and Bathurst from the Port of Newcastle. However, following objections from the Mid-Western Regional and Lithgow City councils regarding unsustainable traffic impacts, the route was heavily altered.

The turbines are now scheduled to undertake a winding 645-kilometer detour through Dunedoo, Wellington, Orange, and Bathurst on their way to Oberon. As part of this updated route, GPG has agreed to fund the construction of a new 510-meter road connecting Percy Street to the Mitchell Highway in Wellington.

Wider Environmental Concerns

Beyond the heritage threat, the Paling Yards Wind Farm has also been referred to the National Environmental Protection Agency due to its potential impact on several endangered and vulnerable species, including the koala and the gang-gang cockatoo.

Biodiversity reports indicate the project poses a "very high risk" to local bird and bat populations. The proponent’s own Bird and Bat Adaptive Management Plan estimates that more than 164 bats and eight birds will be killed annually by turbine strikes over the project's projected 30-year lifespan.

With the NSW Department of Planning already receiving more than 280 submissions from locals objecting to the proposal, the final decision on whether the wind farm goes ahead now lies with the Independent Planning Commission.