Regulator criticises Kerry County Council for 'omitting' areas from wind farm development

Cllr Niall O’Callaghan, a Killarney hotelier, said "Wind turbines should be offshore."

Thu, 23 Jun, 2022 - 14:25

Anne Lucey

The Office of the Planning Regulator has warned Kerry County Council it is out of step with national policy by “omitting” rather than permitting areas open to wind farm development and "it remains concerned".

It is the second warning issued by the regulator and concerns amendments to the 2022-2028 Kerry County Development Plan before the final vote by council members next month.

In April, councillors opted to restrict any further wind development in all but a narrow section near Kilgarvan. They highlighted the fact that Kerry already has the highest number of wind turbines in the country and produces more wind per square metre than any other county.

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A huge number of submissions against any further wind turbines in east and north Kerry were received during the draft consultation phase.

The OPR has now warned that the proposed “approach to wind energy” in Kerry is contrary to national wind energy development guidelines for local authorities, as well as to national targets for renewable energy under the Plan 2021.

The regulator is highlighting the steps it can take if the council goes against national policy in July when the plan is adopted. These include asking the minister with responsibility for local government to take steps “to remedy the situation” and issue a direction.

Ultimately, it is the decision and legal function of the minister whether or not a direction issues, a spokesman for the OPR said. “Since our inception, the OPR has made approximately 400 recommendations on local authority plans. The vast majority of these have been accepted and/or satisfactorily addressed by the local authority without requiring a recommendation to the minister,” he said.

However, there is little indication that councillors will row back on their proposals in advance of the vote next month. Cllr Niall O’Callaghan, a Killarney hotelier, said he was not changing his stance.

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“The Planning Regulators Office needs to come down here and see what has taken place already in Scartaglin and in Ballylongford,” Mr O’Callaghan said.

Although he supported carbon neutral policies, "there was nothing green” about wind energy in Kerry as it affected the landscape, the wind harrier and other bird and animal species as well as the people, and the energy benefit was questionable, he said.

"Wind turbines should be offshore," he added.

Turf cutting

Meanwhile, the OPR has also taken issue with councillors' strong commitment to turf cutting to heat homes, saying this could endanger protected peatlands.

An amendment in the draft plan ‘to support the continued cutting and distribution of turf in order for people to heat their homes has been criticised by the regulator. The amendment should include “from appropriate locations outside of designated nature conservation sites,” the OPR said.