Wind development proponents approach landowners to lease land for wind turbine generators. An agreement to lease is in most cases signed between the proponent and the landowners before the development is approved, followed by a lease when the proposed development is approved. Frequently, as at Stockyard Hill, landowners will sign agreements to lease before their neighbours and the community are notified, and before the impacts on the environment and landscape are known. While signing on landowners in secret is legal, one may well ask whether it is ethical.

The wind development proponents are companies with experience in these types of contracts and certainly have the resources to hire the best possible legal advice. Landowners are frequently farmers with little or no experience in such contracts and negotiations, and few resources for legal advice. Offers to pay for their legal advice by the proponent are welcomed by some landowners, while others, with more experience and resources, choose to find their own legal advice.

A number of concerns have been raised about the contracts and the fairness of them for landowners. For more information, please visit the Spa Country Landscape Guardians website, where a Wind Power contract and review are available.

Spa Country Landscape Guardians Website