August 31, 2013
Ireland

Group forms against Nenagh wind turbine

The Nenagh Guardian | 31/08/13 | www.nenaghguardian.ie

An opposition group has formed and is seeking public support for its campaign against the plan for a new wind turbine in Nenagh.
Management at the Procter & Gamble factory at Gortlandroe wants to install a wind turbine on a site between the factory and N52 bypass.
Local residents opposed to the plan have formed a body called the Nenagh Wind Turbine Opposition Group (NWTOG). The group has raised several concerns over the turbine and says it will soon be calling a public meeting about the matter.
Among its concerns, the NWTOG points out that the proposed structure would stand four times the height of Nenagh Castle (from base to blade tip at maximum height), manifesting “a major blot on the visual landscape”. The group says it is particularly concerned with potential health risks, mentioning a British Medical Journal article that suggests “a strong link between wind turbine noise, ill health, and disruption of sleep”.
It also refers to P&G’s detailing of how sunlight ‘shadow flicker’ caused by the turbine would affect seven houses in the Richmond area. The NWTOG says this is not acceptable, and questions whether shadow flicker may have negative consequences for drivers on the N52, which runs to within 300m of the proposed site.
Moreover, the group says depreciation of property prices in the vicinity cannot be underestimated, and adds: “Two leading auctioneers in Nenagh have stated that in their professional opinion the proposed wind turbine would have an extremely negative impact on property prices in the area.” It also cites two cases in which An Bord Pleanála refused planning permission for wind turbines in similar situations.
The NWTOG says people all over Nenagh should be “very worried” about the proposal, which they claim could set a precedent that may lead to more turbines elsewhere in the town, should it be approved. The NWTOG is to call a public meeting as soon as guest speakers from similar groups around the country have confirmed their availability. In the meantime it is inviting people to visit its website, www.nwtog.com  .

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/08/31/group-forms-against-nenagh-wind-turbine/