Bord Pleanála has refused planning permission for a wind farm in east Cork for the second time in two years.

Plans to build a windfarm in East Cork using turbines almost double the height of the Elysian Tower have been shot down by An Bord Pleanála on the grounds of a negative visual impact and adverse impact on ecology.

An international expert in noise has advised the Department of the Environment that new guidelines on acceptable noise emissions from wind turbines must take account of existing ambient noise levels in individual communities.

Wind turbines that dwarf the Elysian Tower and are higher than the Dublin Spire are planned for East Cork.