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Planning refused for Clare wind farm due to hen harrier concerns 

Credit:  23 March 2023 | farmersjournal.ie ~~

The planning appeals board has refused planning permission for a 10-turbine wind farm in west Clare due to concerns about the potential impact on the hen harrier, a protected bird species.

This follows An Bord Pleanála refusing planning permission to the 557ft tall wind farm 8km from the west Clare coastline.

As part of the proposal by MCRE Windfarm Ltd for the project at Cahermurphy near the west Clare village of Kilmihil, the removal 63ha of breeding and foraging area suitable for the hen harrier was suggested.

The appeals board has ruled that when taken in conjunction with other wind farms in the area, the wind farm would result in unacceptable cumulative adverse ornithological impacts and for the hen harrier in particular.

The board made this a reason for refusal after its inspector in the case, Kevin Moore, concluded that the proposed development would have significant adverse impacts on the ornithological importance of the area by way of collision, mortality, disturbance and displacement of protected bird species.

Blanket bog

Blanket bog is the dominant soil type at the site and the appeals board also refused planning permission as it was not satisfied that it had sufficient evidence that the proposed repositories of peat to be generated during the excavation for the planned wind farm would be effective in the safe storage of significant volumes of peat.

The decision by the board upholds a planning refusal issued by Clare County Council almost two years ago on 9 April 2021 and ends a planning battle with locals after plans were first lodged in September 2020.

Opposition

The Cahermurphy Wind Farm No II Opposition Group led the local opposition and one of those to object was west Clare-based international bestselling author Niall Williams.

A Dublin native, Mr Williams was long-listed for the prestigious Booker Prize in 2014 for his novel History of the Rain .

He moved to Kiltumper with his wife, Christine Breen, in the 1980s and in their “strong” objection lodged with the council against the plan, they stated: “People live in this landscape and we believe this development and others like it, will ultimately lead to the depopulation of the region in favour of the wind industry, a situation which the planners will not only have overseen, but stewarded into being.”

A two turbine wind-farm for a site close to the couple’s home received the green light in 2010 from An Bord Pleanála.

In their objection against the current plan, they stated that they live within 500m of the constructed wind farm and “what we can attest to is that in the year in which we have been living next to the erection and the commission of two turbines, the noise pollution is almost constant”.

“When the wind is coming towards us, we cannot open our bedroom window at night without hearing the constant thump or stand at the kitchen window without seeing the blades spinning.

“So called wind farms destroy habitats, not only for birds,” they stated.

They contended that exploitation of the landscape feels targeted and sacrificed to the erection of wind turbines.

In their direct plea to planners, they stated that “we would ask you to strongly consider what is being allowed to happen in midwest Clare and to assess it if it is in the best needs of the people who are living there”.

Impact statement

An environmental impact statement (EIS) lodged with the application stated that the proposed project will create 72 jobs and that over the lifetime of the wind farm, a community benefit fund of €5.6m will be made available.

The EIS stated that the proposed wind energy development is critical to helping Ireland address a number of challenges as well as addressing the country’s over-dependence on imported fossil fuels.

The EIS stated the site of the proposed development is located within an area designated in the Clare County Development Plan 2017-2023 as “strategic” for wind energy development.

Source:  23 March 2023 | farmersjournal.ie

This article is the work of the source indicated. Any opinions expressed in it are not necessarily those of National Wind Watch.

The copyright of this article resides with the author or publisher indicated. As part of its noncommercial educational effort to present the environmental, social, scientific, and economic issues of large-scale wind power development to a global audience seeking such information, National Wind Watch endeavors to observe “fair use” as provided for in section 107 of U.S. Copyright Law and similar “fair dealing” provisions of the copyright laws of other nations. Send requests to excerpt, general inquiries, and comments via e-mail.

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