161-hectare Cork solar farm refused permission amid fears of impact on sensitive archaeology

By Peter McCarthy, Corkman

Cork County Council has refused planning permission for a 161-hectare, 100 MW solar farm extending across fourteen townlands in the Lee Valley, citing archaeological concerns.

Aglish Solar Farm Limited had applied for a 10-year permission to put solar panels on six parcels of land around the southern bank of the river Lee, about 25 km west of Cork city. The solar farm did not include battery storage and was to connect to the grid using a new substation on the site.

The application said that the solar farm would have an operational lifespan of 40 years and would generate enough electricity to power almost 49,000 homes.

Cork County Council refused the application, stating that “the applicant has not demonstrated that sufficient archaeological investigations have been undertaken to guide the proposed development towards preserving in-situ potential archaeological features and thereby safeguarding archaeological heritage.”

The area in which the solar farm was to be built features a number of standing stones, fulacht fiadh (Bronze Age cooking pits) and other objects of archaeological interest.

In its decision document the council said that the proposed development would contravene the County Development Plan, seriously injure the amenities of property in the vicinity, and set an undesirable precedent. “The proposed development is therefore contrary to the proper planning and sustainable development of the area,” it concluded.

The application received over 200 objections expressing concerns about the environmental and health implications, the scale of the development and a lack of community consultation.

Aglish Solar Farm Limited has four weeks to lodge an appeal with An Coimisiún Pleanála. A company spokesperson told the Irish Independent that the company is currently reviewing the council’s decision and “the probability is that we will appeal it.”

Cork has become a hotspot for solar farm projects. In July alone Cork County Council granted permission for a 47-hectare solar farm between Rathcormac and Castlelyons and a battery storage facility in Curraduff, Newmarket.