Woman wins wind turbine challenge

A woman has won a High Court order overturning a grant of permission for a development of four wind turbines near her home in Co Clare.

In a ruling strongly critical of the absence of clarity and specificity in An Bord Pleanála’s grant of permission, Mr Justice Max Barrett said decisions of public bodies must be clear enough for people to decide if there is a legal basis to challenge them.

“Proper planning was never intended to be, nor can it be allowed to become, a perk reserved for the few who can afford expert lawyers, with something less than best being the lot of the many who cannot,” he said.