Councillors push to divert money from windfarm rates to gritting services to make ‘deadly’ Mayo roads safer
Councillors in Mayo have questioned why rates generated from windfarm developments in the area cannot be used to fund an expansion of winter road gritting services.
Following the cold snap that fell over Mayo and neighbouring counties earlier this month, councillors from across the county have been voicing their concerns about the current Winter Gritting Programme.
At the January meeting of the Ballina Municipal District, councillors called for money coming into north Mayo from windfarm developments to be diverted towards increasing the number of roads included in the gritting programme.
The R315 from Crossmolina to Ballycastle was raised by Cllr Michael Loftus, who said the 21km stretch of road was being “badly neglected by the council” and called for it to be included in next year's programme.
“I was told that there was no funding from last year's budget to do the road,” he said. “19 turbines have been approved in the Ballycastle area, and the council will be getting €570,000 in funding from that for rates - why can’t that be used for gritting?”
Cllr Loftus asked for a figure to be calculated to determine the cost of including the R315 in the gritting programme.
“There should be no excuse next year for that road not to be gritted,” he added.
In Ballina, the Church Road from Attymass into town was described as “deadly” by Cllr John O’Hara, who seconded calls for funding from windfarm developments to be used to expand gritting services.
“It is like a skating rink,” he said, adding that he regularly receives calls from residents in Attymass asking for the road to be gritted.
He told the meeting that he receives phone calls as early as 4am from people wondering if Church Road will be treated, and said it is unfair to those who must travel along the road in such conditions.
“It’s deadly. That is the first road to get slippery, and it is the last one to get salt. It only gets salt if every other road is already done,” he said.
“They said there was no money for it, but that road is used all the time,” he said, noting that all aggregate coming into Ballina travels along Church Road.
He added that it is also used as an alternative route into Ballina from the Foxford direction when there are accidents or delays on the N26.
“With all the money that is coming into North Mayo, and we have even more with the windmills in the Ballina Municipal [area] - some of that money can be diverted and put into gritting,” he said.
In general, all planning permissions granted by Mayo County Council are subject to the Development Contribution Scheme.
Contribution rates vary depending on the type of development. For example, a residential unit is subject to €3,000 or €20 per m2, whichever is greater.
For energy developments and projects, the development fee is calculated at €10,000 per megawatt of capacity. For renewable energy projects that generate electricity but do not supply power to the National Grid, a 100pc reduction applies to the relevant development contribution.
Under the scheme, the new eight-turbine wind farm near Ballycastle, which received planning permission from Mayo County Council in November last year, is subject to the development fee.
The project, proposed by ABO Energy Ireland Limited, will have an installed capacity of up to 40 megawatts and is expected to operate over a 30-year lifespan.
This article has been funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.