WITH a decision nearing on the proposed Hills of Gold wind farm, the company behind the project is facing mounting opposition from the local council, but says it's still open to working through concerns. Tourism opportunities in the village of Nundle will be a big focus if the farm gets the nod, ENGIE's development manager Meredith Anderson said. "We've been looking at particular avenues around fun runs, getting people on site and photography competitions," she said. Despite strongly opposing the project, Tamworth Regional Council (TRC) has agreed in principal to entering a voluntary planning agreement with ENGIE, which could see it pocket $165,000 a year through a Community Enhancement Fund. Projects delivered through the fund would focus on community, and include "festivals" and events at "local swimming pools", not delivering on "roads, rates or rubbish", Ms Anderson said. Tamworth mayor Russell Webb said one of his big concerns was damage to infrastructure like roads as a result of the project. "There are big challenges around Morrisons Gap Road, which could cost ratepayers around the whole shire a heap to keep it in good nick for years to come," he said. There was also the potential for land to be cleared where there's a local koala colony, he said. READ MORE: President of the Hills of Gold Preservation Group, John Krsulja, said the project had "no social licence". "A social licence doesn't just mean a handful of people that hope to benefit financially, and their friends and their workers supporting this project," he said. "It means that the people who are going to be most impacted accept this proposal, but this is not the case... the majority of non-associated dwellings have yet to sign neighbourhood agreements." Ms Anderson said ENGIE would like to have further conversations with TRC in relation to its concerns, but no future meeting has been set despite "numerous requests". She said the project is ready to hit the ground running now and did not need to wait for the NSW Government's Renewable Energy Zones, which would be "years away". "We've got a really strong grid connection with this particular project - the Tamworth to Liddell line, and we've got a really strong wind resource - so we're ready to go now," she said. "During construction there will be 211 direct jobs and a further 404 indirect jobs, and we already have more than 20 local businesses who have registered their interest for this work. Once operational, the wind farm will provide 16 local jobs." Representatives from ENGIE will be conducting another round of community information sessions in June. The project is being assessed by the Department of Environment and Planning, and the final decision is up to the Independent Planning Commission. Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: