February 3, 2022
Ireland

Residents left worrying over windfarm decision

Donegal News | February 2, 2022 | donegalnews.com

West Donegal conservation campaigners are calling for clarity from An Bord Pleanála over a proposed wind farm development.

Members of the Gweebara Conservation Group say they were told in September that a decision on whether Orsted could apply to erect turbines would be made by January 22.

According to the group An Bord Pleanála has rowed back on that and now says it does not know when a decision will be made.

The Danish multi-national power company wants to build Cloghercor Wind Farm, consisting of 23 turbines, just south of Doochary. Flowing through the site is the Clochar an Chuilinn as well as a number of other water courses, all running into the Gweebara/Doochary River.

Plans for the project were lodged on September 9 before moving to ‘pre-application consultation’.

According to An Bord Pleanála, that consultation has yet to be concluded.

Patricia Sharkey of the Gweebara Conservation Group said the situation was unacceptable and that residents deserve better.

“They told us in a statement that a pre-planning application was going in in September and that we would have a decision by January 22.
“But now we are being told they have no notion of when an announcement will be made.

“We want An Bord Pleanála to do the right thing and tell these developers that you can’t build a wind farm beside the Gweebara River and in several Special Areas of Conservation.

“Any digging is going to pollute the river, we have already seen that with Meenbog, and we want An Bord Pleanála to come out and say that you can’t build turbines in an area where you have golden eagles flying.

“Unfortunately it seems they have no idea when this decision will be taken and what you have is people left in limbo,” Ms Sharkey said.

A spokesperson for An Bord Pleanála told the Donegal News this week that a “tentative decide by date” of March 11 has been pencilled in but that there has been “no decision as yet”.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2022/02/03/residents-left-worrying-over-windfarm-decision/