Call for stricter windfarm guidelines

OVER 350 people have signed a petition requesting Clare County Council to increase the setback distance required between homes and wind turbines from 400 metres minimum to at least 1,000m for safety reasons, human rights and to protect property.

A group of West Clare residents have launched a campaign to increase the distance between their homes and families and large-scale wind developments.
The group are also seeking to raise awareness of the alleged risks from windfarm developments sited too close to communities.
In a statement, the residents believe no wind turbine development should take place within one kilometre of any house, school or community building and turbines should preferably be set back two kilometres, in line with international best practice.
While the group are not opposed to the provision of wind farms, it claimed the minimum distance of 400m is completely inadequate and was established when turbines were much smaller than they are today.
“At present, there are also no national or local guidelines regarding density of wind turbines. In the rush to generate sustainable energy, planners are allowing multiple windfarms, which will have an enormous cumulative effect on local residents,” the group claimed.
“Windfarms are large industrial developments and are not suitable for populated rural areas.
“Residents will suffer the combined effects of the industrial mechanical plant, road building, electrical substations, extensive networks of pylons and HGV traffic,” the statement claimed.
“Windfarms can result in possible contamination of groundwater and loss of property value, rendering homes and property devalued or unsaleable,” the statement added.
Kathleen Connelly, Coore; Sean Tubridy, Coore; Maurice Coyle, Coore, Miltown Malbay; Mick Kinsella and Josephine Marsh, Cloonlaheen; Jimmy and Nell Gleeson, Coore and Sara Foust and Jutta Kruse, Shanaway, Miltown Malbay are becoming increasingly concerned about the increase in the number of windfarm applications in their area.
Some of these residents have made a number of submissions to the new Draft County Development Plan concerning wind energy, which they claim have been effectively ignored, as none of their proposals have been accepted or taken into account.
They noted there has been no proper consultation about the provision of wind farms in their area or a long-term plan.
Mayor of Clare, Councillor Christy Curtin said the council received 25 submissions on wind energy out of a total of 106 for the Draft 2011 to 2017 Clare County Development Plan.
Councillor Curtin told The Clare Champion that councillors held two planning workshops dealing with wind energy, where there was a debate on striking the correct balance between competing interests.
He confirmed the following extra objective was added to the Development Plan, “to strike an appropriate balance between facilitating wind energy development and protecting the residential amenity of neighbouring property in respect of noise and visual impact”.
He said while it is up to councillors to introduce policy based on guidelines from the Department of the Environment and planners, it is up to planners to interpret and implement this for individual planning applications.
Senior planner Gordon Daly stressed the council recognised there has to be an appropriate balance struck between facilitating renewable energy projects and respecting the residential amenity of existing residents. This is facilitated through the planning application process, where the provisions of the County Development Plan, Department of Environment Wind Energy Guidelines, Environmental Impact Assessment and submissions from the public are all considered. In addition, any decision of the planning authority can be appealed to An Bord Pleanála by any of the parties concerned.
Mr Daly said the additional objective and any other proposed amendments to the draft plan in relation to renewable energy are now the subject of public consultation for the next four weeks and noted submissions were welcome and would be fully considered before the new plan is finally adopted in February 2011.