Road safety, wildlife and planning rules among concerns over proposed Tipperary wind farm
Councillors have voiced concerns about road safety, environmental impacts and planning regulations surrounding a proposed wind farm development in mid Tipperary.
At a recent meeting of Tipperary County Council, elected members were given the chance to ask questions and have their say on the Carrow Wind Farm, a strategic infrastructure development, in the townlands of Carrow, Moheragh, and Gortaderry in mid Tipperary.
The development would see 14 wind turbines erected, along with 110Kv underground cabling connection and all associated infrastructure and works.
The views of councillors will be put forward as part of the council’s submission to An Coimisiún Pleanála (ACP), who will decide if the development gets the go ahead.
Fianna Fáil councillor Roger Kennedy said that many roads in the area are narrow and dangerous, and questioned why the company - Carrow Renewable Energy - didn’t elect to use a route that had been previously used by a neighbouring wind farm.
“The roads that are being changed on the Cashel to Carrow route involve a bridge over the River Suir, a bend on it has to be greatly widened. In the village of Ballinahinch, the road has to be widened, which is a walled structure at one side,” Cllr Kennedy explained.
“The effect of all this on the area hasn’t been approached by the applicant in any way, shape or form, except to put up notices that this is going to be changed. I don’t know why they didn’t utilise a previous route that was used by the neighbouring wind farm, which was less onerous,” he added.
Agreeing with Cllr Kennedy, Cashel-based independent councillor Liam Browne said that in the report about the development that was circulated to councillors, there was no mention of the freshwater pearl mussel.
“I go back to a 2007 report that says this area is a sensitive area for the freshwater pearl mussel, which is an endangered species,” Cllr Browne said.
“I don’t understand why there was no mention whatsoever of that species in the report. There are other habitats of other species which are endangered up in that area as well, it’s an Irish hare breeding ground, also the river lamprey,” he added.
Sinn Féin councillor David Dunne said that the most up-to-date guidance on wind farms is from 2006, and questioned what An Coimisiún Pleanála inspectors were basing their decisions on.
“How can any of us make a decision without the new guidelines? There’s no set back distance as far as I’m aware, there’s no legislation to say what the required set back distance is, the flicker effect, all these other issues that are being raised over and over again about wind farms,” Cllr Dunne said.
“What are planners basing their recommendations on, is it the old 2006 guidelines?” he asked.
In response, the director of services for planning Brian Beck explained that the 20-year-old guidelines are still the ones that are used by planners.
“We are awaiting updated guidelines and we have been for a while, but we still have to operate under the 2006 guidelines,” he said.
The views of councillors expressed at the meeting will be recorded and be sent to ACP who will decide on the application.