The High Court has rejected most of a challenge to planning permission for a seven-turbine wind farm across parts of counties Carlow and Kilkenny, while leaving two issues for a later hearing.
Rural Residents Wind Aware and Environmental Group, John Nolan and Catriona Nolan challenged An Coimisiún Pleanála's November 2023 permission for White Hill Wind Limited's proposed 50.4MW development at Ridge, Knocknabranagh, Knockbaun, Baunreagh and Agharue in Carlow and Coolcullen, Cloneen and Coan East in Kilkenny.
Mr Justice Humphreys dismissed the applicants' complaints concerning wind-turbine noise and shadow flicker. The court found that the commission had considered the relevant submissions, technical information and both the 2006 Wind Energy Development Guidelines and draft 2019 guidelines. Disagreement with the noise limits ultimately imposed was, the judge held, a disagreement with the planning merits rather than proof of illegality.
The court also rejected arguments that conditions allowing up to 30 minutes of shadow flicker per day displaced the developer's commitment to zero shadow flicker. The conditions could be read together, with the zero-flicker mitigation remaining the intended standard and the numerical condition operating as a fallback limit.
Separate grounds alleging inadequate plans, defects in the environmental-information portal, inadequate environmental assessment and unlawful project splitting also failed. Humphreys J held that the applicants had not discharged the evidential burden required to show material defects in the environmental impact assessment.
The court likewise rejected the challenge concerning alternatives studied by the developer, finding no evidence that the information supplied failed the applicable EU-law standard.
One landowner-consent issue remains conditional. The court said its final disposition depends on whether a separate amendment decision, which moved turbines away from disputed lands, survives the related proceedings. A challenge to the validity of the planning regulations on landowner consent also remains for Module II.
The remaining issues were fixed for hearing on 13 February 2026.