West coast wind farm to bypass planning process

A €100 million, 400ft-high wind farm planned for west Clare is to bypass the planning process.

It follows a Bord Pleanála ruling that the plan by Clare Coastal Wind Power for a 46-turbine wind farm on two sites near the coast is considered strategic infrastructure and, as a result, will be considered by the appeals board.

The sites for the wind farm are located 1km south of Doonbeg and 3km to the north of Kilrush.