Donegal councillors annoyed at ministerial request to alter wind policy 

Councillors in Donegal continue to reject a ministerial request to change their recently adopted wind policy and vastly increase the area where turbines would be permitted in the county.

As revealed by this paper two weeks ago Minster of State for Local Government and Planning, Peter Burke, issued a Notice of Intention to Donegal County Council that he would make a Direction removing significant parts of the new wind turbine policies which were about to be implemented.

This followed almost ten months of efforts by council at multiple meetings and workshops to draft the policies and put them out to public consultation for approval.

In the council’s consultation over 300 submissions were received from the public all in support of the Variation. A final vote by members agreed to implement the proposals by 22-6.

The protective clauses to be inserted in the wind policy section of this and future County Development Plans, excluded turbines from the approaches of Glenveagh National Park, the Gweebarra River Valley, Areas of Especially High Scenic Amenity including St John’s Point and the Freshwater Pearl Mussel River Catchments. It also restricted areas susceptible to landslides such as bogs and set a distance for turbines from homes at ten times the height of the turbine.

‘My way or the highway’

The minister is asking Donegal County Council to strike out all these provisions. Last week wind turbine focus groups across the county including Finn Valley Wind Action, Gweebarra Conservation Group, Graffy Environmental Group and the Inishowen Wind Energy Awareness Group slammed the minister’s plans as shambolic. A spokesman said: “This is like something you hear about in Putin’s Russia, my way or the highway”

The public consultation period allowed for, by legislation, for councillors or the public to comment on the minister’s draft Direction was a mere two weeks. That ended last Thursday and the whole issue was tabled on Monday’s council agenda.

When cathaoirleach Cllr Liam Blaney reached it on the agenda of Monday’s meeting of Donegal County Council he pointed out the matter was only for noting and attempted to move on without discussion but was stopped by Cllr Gary Doherty who asked what the process was now. He had raised concerns at a previous meeting about the process and in particular dangers, such development posed following the major landslide at Meenbog outside Ballybofey on November 13, 2020.

Cllr Doherty pointed out that he, other councillors and members of the public had made submissions directly to the minister.

“Is today simply to note that this process is in train and that we return to this issue at a later date to examine the chief executive’s report. Should the members make any comment today or issue any kind of directive?

The council’s director of community development and planning services, Liam Ward explained how the minister wrote to the chief executive, John G McLaughlin on August 29 indicating his intention to issue a direction to the council in relation to their wind energy variation.

“As a consequence of that, we had to put procedures in place whereby we published a notice of the intention to issue a direction and invited submissions from the public. We also held a workshop here with the elected members in relation to it.

“The period of public consultation expired on Thursday of last week and during that time we received approximately 100 submissions from the public and we also received 12 submissions from elected members in relation to the proposed direction.”

He explained the council was now obliged to prepare a chief executive’s report within four weeks from last Thursday and submit it to the minister, the Office of the Planning Regulator and provide councillors with a copy of the chief executive’s report.

Next step

“The next step in the process is that we have concluded the public consultation, we have four weeks to prepare the chief executive’s report. We are obliged to submit that report to the minister, to the Office of the Planning Regulator and provide a copy to elected members …and that’s what we will be doing.”

He added there was no requirement for the councillors to meet in formal session to consider the chief executive’s report.

“It was for the benefit of the minister that that report is being submitted,” he said.

Cllr Micheál Choilm Mac Giolla Easpaig also interjected as Gaeilge but was inaudible.

He later confirmed to this paper that he called on the CEO to back the public and the councillors who clearly want this Variation of wind turbine policies implemented. He stated that the six Glenties Municipal District councillors had sent a joint submission of opposition against the minister’s draft direction and that he and a number of other councillors had sent individual submissions also.

Groups call on the council CEO to stand up for the county

Environmental groups across Donegal supporting the rollout of new wind farm policies in the county have expressed fears following Monday’s council meeting

A spokesman said they were annoyed at how proceedings went.

They say they are concerned that the democratic wishes of the vast majority of people are being brushed aside and called on the chief executive of the council, John G McLaughlin, to oppose imposed changes.

“There were a good number of us logged on in the public gallery, so to speak, of the council meeting and we could barely hear anything such was the quality of the audio feed. In fact, many of us missed Item 7 (a) on the minister’s Draft Direction such as the speed that it was dealt.

“It is concerning that on an item of such significance to the county that the cathaoirleach, the chief executive and whoever else facilitates the drawing up of the meeting agenda should deem that this item was merely for ‘noting’ and allow no discussion on it.

Clarification

“However, there was a quick interruption from Cllr Gary Doherty who asked for clarification on the process being followed and whether members would have input ‘today or at a later date.

“There followed a short statement from the council’s director of community development and planning services, Liam Ward, who was forthright in saying the CEO’s report would be prepared within four weeks of the consultation period ending.

The spokesman added that in the interests of transparency the groups felt that all submissions received on the minister’s Draft Direction should be published on the council’s website.

“This was done for a far greater number of submissions when the council consulted with the public on the variation back in June.

He added: “What happened on Monday was a disgrace. Like at other meetings where the Variation was discussed there were many who would have spoken out against the Minister but simply were disbarred by this ‘noting’ protocol’.

“We are calling on the CEO in no uncertain terms to reflect the wishes of the majority of the councillors and of the public.

“We do not want to see the minister be allowed to ignore all of what the council received in June. That makes an utter mockery of the very words, public consultation. We are very worried that this will be a box-ticking exercise rather than a reflection of the earnest wishes of the people.

“Moreover, it was always deemed inappropriate to put turbines in the Zone of Glenveagh and this was never challenged. The same with EHSAs.

Massive industrial wind turbines

“Why does Minister Burke suddenly find these places acceptable for massive industrial wind turbines? As for turbines in Freshwater Pearl Mussel areas that is entirely against the principles of the EU Habitats Directives and that position has been upheld in many High Court actions in Kilkenny, Cork, and Kerry.

“The onus now lies on the CEO to speak up for the county. It is he who must stand by the Variation for the good of our last remaining wildernesses which in touristic terms we capitalise on.

“Moreover, he must stand by the principles of public consultation. Kerry County Council faces a similar battle with Peter Burke at this time. They are openly challenging the minister with the threat of a Judicial Review in the High Court should he proceed. We need to see that kind of language in the CEO’s report to the minister”