Supreme Court dismisses residents’ appeal over Waterford wind farm

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

The Supreme Court dismissed local residents’ appeal over alleged unauthorised wind farm development, leaving the Ballyduff wind farm in Waterford operating, as reported on 3 November 2022.

The residents had sought to stop the 11-turbine site, arguing that parts of it were unauthorised. The High Court had agreed, but the Court of Appeal overturned that decision before the residents’ appeal was dismissed.

The Supreme Court found that the increase in rotor blade diameter had been agreed in writing with the planning authority. It also ruled that the residents could not challenge the board’s act on EU law grounds and that the board’s finding did not determine the change was unauthorised development.

The operator’s 2011 planning application specified a 90-metre rotor diameter. A 2013 submission sought to increase it to 103 metres; the turbines became operational in 2015.