April 28, 2015
Ireland

Anti wind farm campaigners fume over levy ‘write off’

Roscommon Herald | April 28, 2015 | www.roscommonherald.ie

Anti-wind farm campaigners are furious with Roscommon County Council for writing off over €100,000 in development levies towards a new road on Sliabh Ban. The Chairperson of Sliabh Ban Community group Mike De Jong has this week questioned how the council could “write-off” €108,000 in a special development contribution for a road development as part of Coillte’s plans to build a wind farm on the mountain. The council has said that the special contribution was being waivered because Coillte would pay a development contribution of €360,500 in respect of the wind farm development on Sliabh Ban. While Mr De Jong accepted that the road development was linked to the wind farm plans, he said it came under a separate planning application. “It is clear in a letter on the planning file dated April 13th that the new road up the mountain is a separate planning application and separate development permission, and therefore the two development contributions are completely separate,” he said. Cllr Orla Leyden, who sought clarification on the matter, also told the Herald she was not totally satisfied with the explanation given by the council. “I’m not totally satisfied with the explanation as to why it has been waivered. Why was the contribution levy put on it in the first place? That’s what I’d be wondering most of all,” she said, adding that she hoped to seek further clarification on the issue.


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2015/04/28/anti-wind-farm-campaigners-fume-over-levy-write-off/