July 17, 2015
Northern Ireland

Glenhordial wind farm refused by council

Ulster Herald | July 17, 2015 | ulsterherald.com

A planning application to construct seven wind turbines on Slievard Mountain, three miles from Omagh has been refused by council.

The wind farm application by Canavan Associates Ltd for the Glenhordial and Rylagh townlands received 2,436 letters of objection.

It came before the planning committee of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council last week with the opinion to refuse.

It was stated that the critical views of the wind farm would be witnessed when travelling in all directions particularly north of Omagh town.

It was also felt the scale and mass of the proposed turbines from this vantage point would be “overbearing on this important landscape” in the Sperrins.

Emphasis was also given to the impact the development would have on neighbouring residents.

The report from the principal planning officer stated, “The concerns over the visual impacts, prominence in the landscape, impact on the AONB (area of natural beauty), impact on character of the area, scale of development and impact on the rural area have been considered within the report

“The concerns over the potential impact on residential amenity in relation to shadow flicker and noise are also considered.

“Having considered the benefits that this proposal could bring to the local area and Northern Ireland in general and notwithstanding the significant weight required to be attached under Policy RE1 of PPS 18 to the wider environmental, economic and social benefits of renewable energy developments, these are not sufficient to outweigh the significant harm and adverse impacts that the development would cause to nearby residents’ amenity and the impact upon the sensitive landscape and high scenic value of the area the LCA, the AONB and the impact on the Sperrins AONB as tourist assets, and the significant adverse impact on the rural area around Slievard and Omagh in general.”

The council planning committee unanimously agreed with this recommendation to refuse this wind farm application.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2015/07/17/glenhordial-wind-farm-refused-by-council/