Submission from one concerned in south Armidale

Dear General Manager

Thank you for providing an opportunity for members of the public to comment on the Draft Local Strategic Planning Statement.

It is good to see that the Council recognises that Armidale has a major problem with woodsmoke, caused by wood heaters. 

I come originally from the east coast of the USA, which has a much colder climate than Armidale.* When family and friends have visited me here over the years, they are astonished when they learn that a very popular way to heat the home in this town is with firewood...  just like on Little House On The Prairie. It would be laughable if it weren't such a serious problem. 

"Offer an incentive package to retrofit existing wood heaters with air conditioning units within Armidale"

This is a great idea! Yes, please!

"Amend the DCP to prohibit new dwellings from installing wood heaters where they are located on lots of 4000m2 or less"

I appreciate the move to prohibit wood heaters on small block sizes. But this is like saying that asbestos should only be allowed on larger blocks, but not smaller blocks. 

We should not be permitting wood heaters in any new houses in the Council area, of any block size. Wood heaters are old technology and they continue to be dirty and polluting. There are many other forms of energy that are effective, price-competitive, and clean. 

Insulation

I may have missed it, but I don't see any mention in the Plan requiring a certain standard of insulation for new homes. In cold climate countries in Europe and North America, homes and buildings are warm, and the long winters are tolerable, because they are well insulated. New homes should be built with pink bats as a minimum standard in a region like Armidale. It would be beneficial if financial incentives and support could be provided for existing homes to be retro-fitted with insulation, where possible. 

*When I arrived in Armidale in 1994, I had healthy lungs. I have never smoked and I am physically active. Yet I have become increasingly sensitive to the smell of woodsmoke over the years. At this stage, the woodsmoke bothers me, a lot. Two of my neighbours run their wood fires all winter long, and the smoke blows into my house. I cannot sit on my back veranda of a winter afternoon because of the smell. I have contacted Council from time to time to complain about the visible smoke coming from their chimneys, and the effect upon me. They are unfailingly sympathetic and always promise to follow up. But ultimately, nothing changes. And because I don't want to turn into an emphesemic older person, I plan on leaving town, to live in a warmer climate where woodsmoke will not be an issue. In the meantime, I have become reclusive in winter and stay inside with the air purifier on most smoky nights and even on some smoky days. But I did not move to Armidale to be confined indoors with my air purifier.