Two wind-farm projects planned for Co Clare have been rejected by Clare County Council. Community groups yesterday welcomed the refusal of planning permission for the separate projects.
Earlier this year the council received applications from West Clare Wind-farm Manufacturing Ltd to develop a £10 million wind-farm near the village of Kilmaley with 16 turbines 295ft high and a proposal by a German-owned company to develop a £4 million wind-farm with seven turbines 330ft high near the west Clare town of Kilrush.
Both applications provoked strong opposition, with both the Kilmaley Residents' Action Group and the Monmore Action Group lodging objections with the council.
In both cases, the council has endorsed the views of the groups, stating in both rulings that "the proposed development would be seriously injurious to the amenities and depreciate the value of properties in the vicinity of the wind-farm and would be contrary to the proper planning and development of the area".
The decisions by the council bring to six the number of wind-farm projects it has refused in recent years.
In the only successful application by National Windpower Ltd in the county and the midwest region it was given the goahead last November for a six-turbine wind-farm outside Ennistymon.
According to the latest figures from the Irish Wind Energy Association (IWEA), there are 20 wind-farms installed or under construction nationally. There are eight in Co Donegal, three in Co Kerry, two in Cos Mayo, Leitrim, Cork and Roscommon, and one in Co Galway.
Expressing disappointment at the council's decisions, Mr Larry Staudt of the IWEA said yesterday that the response by local authorities in other parts of the country was more positive to wind-farm projects.
In relation to the Kilmaley proposal, the council said the 16-turbine proposal "would visually dominate the landscape when viewed from a wide area and contribute to the degradation of views, the preservation of which is an objective of the County Development Plan".
Mr Nigel Barnes, a consultant, acting on behalf of promoters of the plan yesterday accused the council of not living up to its responsibility in promoting alternative energy resources.
He said: "It would seem on the basis of policies contained within the County Development Plan that the council does not want wind-farms in the country." He confirmed that an appeal would be lodged to An Bord Pleanala.
However, Mr Staudt said: "Overall, the picture across the country is quite positive. At the start of the year wind-farms produced 1 per cent of the country's electricity, and one year on that figure is 2 per cent. With the Government seeking to reduce COs2] emissions and wind energy becoming easily the cheapest form of electricity within this decade, that percentage will continue to grow."
However, opposition from local groups to wind-farms remains. According to a spokesman for the Kilmaley Residents' Action Group, "We have no objection to wind-farms in principle. However, the siting of the proposed wind farm in a scenic area will scar the landscape and destroy our local environment. There is also the issue of noise pollution."
Saying that the group would oppose any appeal, the spokesman added: "We live and work here and will continue to protect our environment."
