Social Impact Assessment and Community Feedback
A key part of the process is the social impact assessment, which seeks to understand how the Chivers Road BESS might affect the local community and stakeholders.
Pacific Partnerships invited community members and stakeholders to participate in this assessment through a community survey, landholder interviews and stakeholder interviews including local Councils, the Community Fire Association and the State Development Facilitation Program.
Eleven people participated in a community survey emailed to 238 contacts on the project database, the majority of whom were aged 65+ years (50%) and had lived at their current address for varying lengths of time, with some having lived there for over 40 years.
Respondents had various connections to the area, including being nearby neighbours (33.33%), local residents (41.67%), and community group representatives (33.33%).
Results highlight the community's mixed feelings about the project, with a significant portion valuing the area's rural character and expressing concerns about potential impacts. However, there is also notable support for the project's benefits, particularly in terms of clean energy and climate change mitigation.
Awareness levels were high, with 66.67% of respondents aware of the project before the survey.
Key findings are summarised below.
