Planning for windfarm refused for a second time

Waterford Council has refused planning permission for a windfarm near the Comeragh Mountains for the second time in four years.

In an amended application, Kilkenny-based Ecopower Developments Ltd had applied to build eight wind turbines, with a height not exceeding 127m, at Ballymacarbry on the western fringe of the mountains.

The site, on a forest ridge, is close to the Tipperary border and about 5km from Clonmel. The council said it was “not satisfied that the development would not significantly compromise the policy to develop the Comeragh area as a national amenity” and feared the visual impact on tourism.