06/02/2022
Life in the unspoilt natural valley of Gougane Barra in West Cork has been irrevocably changed this week as An Bord Pleanála has given permission to a controversial €30 million ultra-high windfarm project on the southern slopes of Gougane Barra, in Curraglass & Derreendonee.
This week, their decision, changes our valley.
In their controversial decision, An Bord Pleanála, have rejected their own inspector’s strong advice, rejected Cork County Council’s strong advice, ignored our community’s wishes and the wishes of every person who has ever stood in Gougane Barra and felt it’s magic.
Wingleaf renewable energy (Developer) are installing 7 huge wind turbines (178m high) on elevated ground, just 1995m from the iconic St. Finbarr’s Oratory in Gougane Barra.
Some of these enormous wind turbines (178m to wingtip) will be sited on 300m plus elevations just south of here and will be higher than most peaks in County Cork. These are the largest structures being erected anywhere in Ireland at present (Spire in Dublin is 121metres to compare).
Wingleaf say “that the development would have an acceptable impact on the landscape having regard to its overall benefits and would not seriously injure the residential or visual amenities of the area”.
Cork County Council advised An Bord Pleanála that it believed the windfarm would be “excessively domineering from very many vantage points over a wide area” including views from several scenic routes such as the Wild Atlantic Way.
Cork County Council planning strongly refused planning permission because of its proximity to Gougane Barra, which it said was recognised as ‘one of the country’s 17 key tourist attractions of national importance’.
An Bord Pleanála said this would not detract from the existing character of the area, undermine the setting of Gougane Barra and the framing of the town of Bantry, erode the landscape and visual quality of the coastal and designated scenic routes in the vicinity.
An Bord Pleanála accepts that our community can be subject to up to 30 minutes shadow flicker every day and will have to listen to the continuous noise of these turbines daily.
22 of our neighbours live within 1.5km of this development. 4 live within 1000m of the nearest turbine. It’s difficult to get rural planning here. The joy of rural living is slipping away as an industrial giant moves in.
An Bord Pleanála said it was accepted in a report that the birds were not dependent on the site of the wind farm for breeding or wintering. This is a 622-hectare site overlooking Bantry bay and is full of birdlife, wildlife and nature.
An Bord Pleanála said that it’s ok to remove 12 hectares of forestry, build roads, change the landscape, build infrastructure to support the tallest structures in Ireland on the side of this mountain.
We respect the need for climate change, and we are on our own green commitment journey, we will be carbon neutral in the near future. There is a time and place for all things. There are decisions to be made but this decision by An Board Pleanála doesn’t sit with nature.
So here we are with our legal team planning our next steps. We cannot believe that An Bord Pleanála could be swayed against their own Inspector, Cork County Council’s strong refusal, our community’s refusal, and the wishes of so many. This windfarm could be sold to Amazon!
How can a small supposedly informed board, far away from Gougane Barra, have so much power to go against the majority wishes and allow this huge development? Would they allow this to happen on the comparative slopes of Glendalough?
Goodbye real Ireland, goodbye peace and tranquility, goodbye beautiful landscape, goodbye quiet spirituality, goodbye picture-perfect scenes, goodbye 622-hectares of unspoilt nature, goodbye silent nights, and dark skies.
“You have dried the marrow from the bone; For men were born to pray and save: Romantic Ireland’s dead and gone, It’s with O’Leary in the grave”
W.B.Yeats (September 1913).
