FAQs
Do wind farms affect house prices?
There is no evidence of house prices having
been affected negatively by the Tararua or Haunui wind farms
or the Brooklyn wind turbine. In fact the opposite link was
found in the US.
In an extensive study the Renewable Energy
Policy Project (USA) examined price changes in property values
of ten projects. They found that ”for the great majority
of projects the property values actually rose more quickly
in the view shed after the projects came on-line than they
did in the comparable community. Moreover, values increased
faster in the view shed after the project came on-line than
they did before.“ (1)
In the UK there are currently some 80 wind energy projects
operating, and survey evidence to date does not reveal a
negative trend in property values amongst properties in proximity
to wind farms. According to the Royal Institution of Chartered
Surveyors, there are no studies that suggest an effect either
way.
At Nympsfield in Gloucestershire, house prices continued to
gain after plans for the turbine were announced in 1992 and
have continued to increase since the turbine began operating
in 1997.
This pattern is repeated at the 70 plus operating wind farms
in England, Wales and Scotland, where any evidence available
demonstrates that wind farms have no material effect on house
prices; surveys in areas near to a wind project show 78% of
respondents reporting no difference in house prices, with some
even reporting an increase.
The only Australian study is an informal one on the Esperance
wind farm at Salmon Beach, a premier Western Australia residential
area. The residential area was built after the wind farm but
still showed a strong trend of increasing house prices throughout
the estate over the ensuing years. In fact, local residents
complained at the proposal to decommission the wind farm at
the end of its design life. (2)
For more overseas experience have a look at the US study “The
effect of wind development on local property values”
Notes:
(1) Sterziger G. et al (2003). The
effect of wind development on local property value. Renewable
Energy Project. Washington, USA.
(2) www.auswea.com.au
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