Locals seethe over ‘monument of stupidity’

A backyard wind turbine in coastal Victoria has neighbours feuding even before it’s started operating.

Phillip Island resident Rob McKittrick has installed a wind turbine almost 11m tall on his property.

But the project, which is not yet active, has angered neighbours who want it torn down.

They believe it’s an eyesore that’s too big and will cause too much noise.

“It just needs to come down; it’s revolting and it’s unnecessary,” one neighbour told A Current Affair on Wednesday.

Another deemed it a “monument of stupidity”.

However, Mr McKittrick, an electrician of 30 years, said the turbine was “staying where it is”.

“This is the future,” he told the program.

“I’m qualified to do this. We need to do this and I’m doing it for the right reasons. If people aren’t happy to do that, then they’re environmentally irresponsible.”

The father-of-two said if the turbine generated too much noise he’d “pull it down”.

“I don’t want a house with a wind turbine with noise. The level of noise will be somewhere around the lower end of an acceptable air conditioner, according to council standards.”

The local council said it was unable to address the proposed issues, as the state government was the only authority which could intervene to address the community’s concerns.

“Unfortunately, Council has no power to address the proposed issues associated with the installation of the structure,” Bass Coast Shire Council CEO Ali Wastie said in a statement to the program.