Wallaroo residents have vowed to legally challenge the NSW Independent Planning Commission's approval last week of the controversial solar farm on the north-west border of the ACT.
The commission had quietly signed off the development, which had been fiercely opposed by local landholders who say the amenity of the rural residential area will be "ruined" by the 155 hectare solar farm.
Local residents are understood to be briefing senior counsel on their next steps, which will most likely result in a challenge to the NSW Land and Environment Court.
The solar farm is intended to span two existing cattle and sheep properties owned by a prominent Canberra family, which will collect significant royalties from the venture.
The project sits within the Yass Valley Council local government area approximately 750 metres north-west of the ACT suburbs of Dunlop and Macgregor and one kilometre south of the NSW rural locality Wallaroo.
It will consist of 182,000 photovoltaic modules arranged in rows, mounted on single axis trackers with driven or screwed pile foundations, at a maximum height of 4.7 metres off the ground.
A 45-megawatt battery storage system will be installed on site and an electricity sub-station will allow a direct connection to the national electricity grid via the two existing 132kV transmission lines onsite.
It will be surrounded by 11.6-kilometres of perimeter fencing 1.8 metres high.
A fire safety requirement is to plan for a "reasonable worst-case fire scenario to and from the battery storage and the associated fire management".
Construction is expected to start by the end of the year although under the terms of the agreement, there will be a limit of 32 heavy vehicle movements a day into the site.
There is a planning requirement for the solar farm constructors to plant 17 hectares of screening material but the residents say this falls well short of community expectations.
