Community group raises 33 specific objections to Mayo wind farm plans

A NORTH Mayo community group has lodged a comprehensive formal objection to plans for a 13-turbine wind farm on the peatlands of Muingmore, raising 33 specific grounds on which it says planning permission must be refused.

Rural West Environmentalists Limited, led by Brian Bakeberg, president of Erris Chamber of Commerce, has submitted a detailed observation to An Coimisiún Pleanála opposing the application by RWE Renewables Ireland Limited for the proposed Muingmore Wind Farm (Case Reference PAX16.324308).

The turbines, which would stand at 180 metres to the blade tip, are six times the height of the Belmullet water tower, the group say, to be built on Atlantic blanket bog just over one kilometre north of Gweesalia, draining directly into Blacksod Bay.

Mr. Bakeberg said the community group had uncovered deficiencies in the application documents, saying the shadow flicker assessment uses identical window dimensions for over 90 local homes, which he said is not a 'real survey of real homes'.

The group's submission also highlights that a breeding pair of Red-listed Kestrel has been confirmed on the development site for three consecutive years.

They have also raised queries about bat survey equipment along with background noise instruments at five of seven monitoring stations.

On the environmental side, the submission argues that the development site drains into three separate European protected sites - two Special Areas of Conservation and a Special Protection Area for birds - as well as two Ramsar wetlands of international importance. It notes that Blacksod Bay contains maerl beds that are listed as a new scientific record, protected under EU law, and that can take centuries to recover from sedimentation damage.

The submission also targets the proposed battery energy storage system, noting that no emergency response plan has been submitted and it is unclear, they say, whether Mayo Fire Service has been consulted about its capacity to respond to a large-scale battery fire on a remote peat bog.

"We are asking An Coimisiún Pleanála to refuse permission on environmental, legal, and community grounds," said Mr. Bakeburg.

The deadline for observations to An Coimisiún Pleanála is July 10. Observations can be submitted online at www.pleanala.ie (Case Reference PAX16.324308).

Rural West Environmentalists Limited can be contacted at brian@errischamber.ie.