Green light for Cork solar farm plan

Planning permission for one of the country’s largest solar farms has been approved for a site in North Cork, despite strong objections from the local community.

An Bord Pleanála upheld the recent decision of Cork County Council to permit the development of a solar farm on a 68-hectare site, comprising around 20 different existing fields at Fiddane, near Ballyhea.

The project proposed by UK-based energy firm IGP Solar provides for the construction of a solar farm which would have a capacity of 30.6 megawatts.

The company claims the solar farm, which is to consist of over 87,500 individual solar panels up to 2.1m in height as well as 14 transformer stations, will generate enough electricity to provide energy for almost 5,000 households.

The development was opposed by the Fiddane Solar Action Group which criticised the lack of national, regional, and local guidelines on the development of solar farms.

The group, consisting of around 40 local residents, also raised a variety of concerns in relation to the environmental impact of the project as well as the negative impact it claimed the solar farm would have in terms of traffic, road safety, glint and glare, and property values in the area.

It also expressed concern that the solar farm posed an increased risk of flooding and fire.

An Bord Pleanála said it concluded the proposed solar farm would not seriously injure the visual amenities of the area or the residential amenities of property in the vicinity.

The planning board also found that the development would be unlikely to have a significant effect on the environment or the ecology of the area.

In addition, it said the project would be acceptable in terms of traffic safety and convenience.

The board said it had completed an appropriate assessment screening exercise to examine if the solar farm would have any potential effects on habitats protected under EU legislation and was satisfied that it was unlikely.

It attached 15 conditions to the granting of planning permission for the solar farm, including the establishment of buffer zones around a local ring fort and other monuments during the construction phase.

It also reduced the duration of the original permission from 30 years to 25 years.

To date, Cork County Council has granted planning permission for around a dozen solar farms in the county, with a similar number under consideration.