North Kerry solar farm refused permission

The plans included almost 450,000 sq m of ground-mounted solar panels, 28 battery storage containers, five site entrances and about 9.5km of underground cabling.

Planning permission has been refused for a large solar farm and battery storage facility that was to spread across 10 townlands in North Kerry.

Kerry County Council this week refused permission for the development, citing concerns over flooding, local roads and construction noise.

BNRG Laccamore Ltd, part of solar developer BNRG, had sought a 10-year permission for the scheme on a 152.6-hectare (377-acre) site between Abbeydorney and Kilflynn, near Tralee. The plans included almost 450,000 sq m of ground-mounted solar panels, 28 battery storage containers, five site entrances and about 9.5km of underground cabling. The farm was to operate for 40 years.

The application gave no megawatt figure, with the developer saying output would only be settled after a grid connection agreement. A 110kV substation to connect the project to the grid was to be the subject of a separate application to An Coimisiún Pleanála.

The council’s decision, dated October 5, followed a lengthy further information process. Eighteen local residents objected to the original application, raising concerns including flood risk, glint and glare, damage to roads, the loss of farmland, hen harrier habitat and the cumulative impact with wind farms in the area.

The planner’s report said the developer had not fully addressed “matters related to roads, drainage and noise” at planning stage. Instead, it was asking the council to deal with them by condition, “at a stage where it may not be possible to ensure that the proposed development would align with” the county development plan.

The council’s flooding unit said the company had not provided test results showing the ground was suitable for surface water to drain away from hardstanding areas. It had proposed instead to agree a drainage scheme at detailed design stage.

Listowel Municipal District engineers said the haul route used local roads “constructed on poor ground” and too narrow for the development. The developer’s own survey recorded sections as narrow as 2.7m. The engineers rejected a proposal that construction traffic could pass using existing field and house entrances, and sought written landowner agreement for passing bays and road widening.

The council’s environment department also said it could not be satisfied that pile-driving during the 18-month construction phase would not cause noise nuisance beyond the site.

However, the planner found that the partial and temporary loss of productive farmland on part of the site was outweighed by the national priority of addressing climate change. The report also said the council recognised its role in facilitating renewable energy.

The developer has four weeks from the date of the decision to appeal to An Coimisiún Pleanála.