Windfarm could hinder Doonbeg investment

THE proposed development of 45 wind turbines in West Clare could significantly reduce the tourist numbers for Doonbeg Golf Club complex, which has injected €100 million into the local economy over the last 10 years.

That’s according to the owners of Doonbeg Golf Club, Lodge and Spa who are opposing plans submitted by Clare Coastal Wind Power Limited to An Bord Pleanála for the construction of a €100m windfarm near Doonbeg.
Last year, the complex attracted 24,000 bed nights, 39,000 sleepers and 22,000 golfers. Opened in 2002, Doonbeg Golf Club, designed by Greg Norman, won the prestigious title of European Golf Resort of the Year in 2010 and has been named in the top 100 courses in the world by Golf Magazine.
The complex is one of the largest direct employers in the West Clare Region, employing 230 people and up to 245 during the peak season. This has significant knock-on impacts on other local businesses.
In addition to a dramatic increase in the population of the Doonbeg Electoral Division by 17.6% between 2002 and 2006 and 7.6% between 2006 and 2011, new businesses have been established over the last 10 years.
These include one new restaurant, upgrading of two restaurants, four pubs newly refurbished, one new supermarket, a new hostel, five taxi companies as well as a significant increase in B&B operators.
In a wide-ranging submission on behalf of Doonbeg Golf Club, Limerick planning consultants Town and Country Resource Limited stated the introduction of an extra 45 turbines combined with the existing and permitted 13 turbines “would have significant visual impacts, which would dramatically alter the nature of the surrounding landscape”.
The consultants warned the natural landscape is a key factor in the attraction of the area for international tourists and noted the windfarm intervention would have “serious implications for the tourist industry in the area”.
“While we agree there is a strategic need in Ireland for the provision of very large windfarms, this application isn’t justified in this particular location. The choice of location appears to have been undertaken on the basis of ease of construction and operation for this operator.
“It has no strategic grounding and doesn’t represent sustainable development or a sound and planned approach to the provision of strategic infrastructure,” they stated.
In the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), Jennings O’Donovan and Partners Consulting Engineers concluded the overall significance of the impact is considered to be moderate. This is the median of five levels of impact significance available to the assessors and is defined as “an impact that changes the character of the environment in a manner that is consistent with existing and emerging trends”.
“Locations within the flat peatland basin that surround the site don’t have a strong sense of the nearby coast and the views over the marginal farmland and harvested peatland are relatively unexceptional.
“The three-dimensional layout of the scheme and its flat profile accords with the surrounding flat landscape. There is little intervisibility between the scheme and the coastline, particularly from the dramatic coastal cliffs that occur to the west of the site around Kilkee. The windfarm is contained within a basin landscape and doesn’t obstruct or significantly intrude on any views of the coast from sensitive locations,” the engineers stated.
The consultants acknowledged two Viewshed Reference Points (VRP) that were selected to study the landscape and visual impact of the proposal – Doonbeg Golf Course and the settlement of Doonbeg, which are both a short distance to the north of the site, will experience a significant level of landscape and visual impact.
“Locations within the immediate basin are likely to experience a moderate level of cumulative impact on the basis that substantial scale turbines will tend to surround particular viewing locations or occupy large sections of the available view.
“The cumulative impact diminishes beyond the basin where the existing Monmore Windfarm, the permitted Tullabrack Windfarm and the proposed development are likely to be perceived as a singular, albeit largescale development,” the engineers added.
A spokesman for Clare Coastal Wind Power said the company has no comment to make other than to reiterate that it awaits the decision of An Bord Pleanála.
In a separate submission from Declan Griffin, Kilrush Road, Doonbeg, 15 landowners requested the board to take into account a new policy paper released by the Irish Wind Energy Association, which states the production of renewable energy is a significant national opportunity.
The landowners hope the board will take this into account when making its decision and help protect their own and their families’ futures.
This paper states the wind energy sector has the potential to create up to 30,000 jobs by 2020, while the generation of 4GW of wind energy produced for the domestic market and 6GW for export  could deliver up to 18,400 jobs by 2020.
If State agencies work in tandem with industry, the paper predicts they could “attract turbine manufacturers to Ireland as well as supplying turbines to projects here”.
Annette Gavin, Kilmurry McMahon stated in her submission the key findings that have emerged from this application “leave no doubt that this is one of the best located and finest windfarm sites in Clare”.
“Clare Coastal Wind Power Limited turned to a number of accomplished experts in the industry and found among them a team that could work with them to compile the data and studies required to form the most comprehensive application lodged on any windfarm planning application to date,” she stated.