Cork wind farm blocked to protect swan habitat
Adverse Would Kilcolman On Whooper Not Interest Swan, Satisfied' Effect Board Planning It Special Project 'not Of Of Said The The Protection A Bog Have The Area The An Species Conservation Was
A proposed wind farm development in North Cork has been refused planning permission by An Bord Pleanála to protect the habitat of the whooper swan.
The proposed development by Annagh Wind Farm Ltd was for the construction of six wind turbines at a site at Annagh North near Charleville in North Cork.
The six turbines would have reached a blade tip height of 175m, with a rotor diameter of 150 m. The development would also have included access tracks, drainage works and an electrical substation.
Planning permission was originally sought for the development in February 2021, but was refused by Cork County Council in December 2022. An appeal was lodged with An Bord Pleanála by Annagh Wind Farm Ltd in January 2023.
The ecological inspection report carried out for Cork County Council said the proposed development would be likely to “have a permanent significant negative effect on an area of high local biodiversity value and it is considered that the granting of permission for this development would be contrary to policy HE 2-3 of the County Development Plan 2014.
"Furthermore, the proposed development has the potential to cause significant negative effects on populations of protected species occurring within and dependent on the proposed development site.”
In its decision to uphold the refusal, the planning board said it was "not satisfied" the project would not have an adverse effect on the whooper swan, a species of conservation interest of the Kilcolman Bog Special Protection Area.
The decision went on: “The board cannot be satisfied that the development, individually, or in combination with other plans or projects, would not be likely to have an adverse effect on the integrity of the Kilcolman Bog Special Protection Area in view of the site’s conservation objectives.”
The decision follows the refusal of permission for two other proposed wind farms in Co Cork in the past two months. In June, permission was refused for a wind farm at Ballybane near Ballydehob in West Cork due to its impact on a “high-value landscape”.
In May, permission was also refused for a wind farm in the scenic Gougane Barra Valley.