Planning for wind farm refused

A LOCAL authority yesterday refused planning permission for a contentious 400ft high wind farm due to its likely impact on a protected and rare bird, the Hen Harrier.

Birdwatch Ireland and a large number of locals had expressed their opposition to plans by McMahon Finn Properties Ltd for a six turbine wind farm 9km from the west Clare coastal village of Quilty.

The company last year lodged plans for a 12 turbine 13MW wind farm but halved the number of turbines in response to local concerns.