A Tamworth public inquiry into wind farms in the northern tablelands has heard the developments do not comply with local planning guidelines.

The New South Wales Planning Department has bypassed local government controls to push the projects through.

A number of residents told the inquiry that noise and vibrations from the turbines will force them to move if the projects go ahead in their current form.

Graham Price, the director of development and environmental services at Glen Innes Severn Council, says the State Government's approach is not working.

"It's the development applications that we're not receiving, that we have no control or any say over at the end of the day," he said.

"That's as a result of the lack of clear guidelines from the state, they're the ones that are approving them, they're the ones that are doing the negotiations with the developers.

"Council's just another stakeholder as community groups are."

A number of residents in the affected areas said they were not properly notified of the developments.

The inquiry was also told there were unanswered questions about the health effects of noise and vibrations from the turbines.

Glen Innes resident Mary Evans, who lives just 900 metres from a proposed turbine, says she hopes residents' concerns are acted on.

"Everyone's been very open and understanding and listening, which is the important thing," she said.

"We need people to listen to take back to hopefully the Department of Planning, which as you can see from this inquiry does not know what it's doing, clearly."