February 4, 2017
Ireland

Council finds minor breaches of planning at Galway Wind Park

Connacht Tribune | February 4, 2017 | connachttribune.ie

A report on the planning compliance of the controversial Galway Wind Park near Roscahill has uncovered minor breaches of planning permission.
The planning enforcement department of Galway County Council has reviewed the development following a series of complaints from local residents in the Doon East area.
Residents have raised a number of concerns over issues including noise levels, dust levels, traffic speeds, delivery hours of components, and the condition of roads.
The report has determined that no breaches of any of the planning conditions have been found with regard to any of the referenced planning permissions – except for some moderately elevated dust levels recorded in November and December 2015.
It is noted that these high levels occurred during periods of excessive rainfall, when there should be little or no problem with dust.
It is further noted that there were no recurring breaches during 2016 and therefore the November and December 2015 result may represent a malfunction of the monitoring equipment.
While it is accepted that delivery hours of turbine components may be outside the allowed starting time of 7.00am, it is recognised that this is outside the control of the Wind Park developers and is determined by An Garda Siochana.
In conclusion, the Planning Authority has determined that no action is warranted at this time.
However, the enforcement file will remain active in light of the breaches in dust levels in November and December 2015 and a review will be carried out this summer. (July 2017)


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2017/02/04/council-finds-minor-breaches-of-planning-at-galway-wind-park/