200 homes use placard protest over windfarm

Up to 200 houses in North Kerry are brandishing placards announcing they will be put up for sale if a planned windfarm with 156-metre turbines is given the green light.

Enerco Energy’s Stacks Mountain Windfarm Ltd haven’t yet submitted their planning application to Kerry County Council but there is a groundswell of locals who are staunchly opposed to the 10-turbine development near Lixnaw.

The windfarm is planned for the Ballyhorgan area of Lixnaw on the outskirts of Listowel and the planning application is to be submitted in days.

The Ballyhorgan Says No to Windfarm Facebook page say locals don’t want the planned development due to “shadow flicker, noise pollution and its visual effects”.

They have described the project as a “monstrosity” and warn it will devalue their homes. However, Enerco Energy say the site is within an area identified in the Kerry County Development Plan as having the capacity to support wind development.

Enerco Energy said the planning application is only taking place following extensive studies of the wildlife, archaeology and hydrology in the area.

There are already wind turbines in mountains near Lixnaw but Aidan Lenihan of the North Kerry Windfarm Awareness Group has said these latest turbines “are just too big”.

“The blades on these turbines alone are 56 metres in size. There are up to 120 houses that are within a kilometre of the planned windfarm and they don’t want to be looking out at them or suffering interference from them,” he said.

NKWAG believe too many windfarms are being planned for North Kerry.

“There is a raft of turbines being planned for the Lixnaw, Abbeydorney, Ballyduff, Causeway to Tarbert area and there is little or nothing planned for south and mid Kerry as it’s believed they could damage their tourism product,” he said.

NKWAG held a public meeting at Drumclough National School two weeks ago and up to 100 attended.