e50m Inishowen wind farm plan
As plans for a 50m euro wind and hydro-electric power farm in Glentogher are unveiled it's been said 'Inishowen's wind is like the Middle East with its oil' - a goldmine!
While the spectacular project on 1,000 acres of land could create up to 200 jobs developers say there's no point in even applying for planning permission because they say they'll hit a brick wall.
At Tuesday's Donegal County Council Inishowen area committee meeting councillors were told about the renewable energy plans which would see land in Glentogher transformed to home wind energy, hydroelectric power and biomass, which would attract an investment of a staggering 50m euro, create 200 jobs and a further 15 full times jobs upon completion.
But plans of this kind would not attract permission because the council has 'adopted a broad-brush prohibition on wind energy projects based specifically on landscape quality and views and prospects', members were told.
Jim Harley, of Harley Newman, a planning and development consultant representing landowners Lawrence McDaid and John Paul Farren, told the members: "They have acquired themselves 1,000 acres of land in Glentogher that they proposed to develop a renewable energy project on their lands.
"The widespread support for renewable energy at both national and international level, is regrettably not reflected in the Donegal County Council policies on renewable energy.
"The wind energy adopted by the members in the plan immediately rules out the wind energy aspect of the proposal and does not even give the landowners the opportunity to present arguments.
"Donegal County Council is the only county to have adopted a broad-brush prohibition on wind energy projects, based specifically upon landscape quality and views and prospects.
"This approach conflicts directly with the advice and guidelines contained in the Wind Energy Development Guidelines for Local Authorities."
Mr Harley said the council would benefit greatly from the development and could collect, on average, around 5,000 euro in rates per turbine.
He said when the developers started out they decided to go in to the green energy sector because it was fast growing and Donegal has a wealth of resources.
He added: "In Europe, Ireland would generate more engery than most other countries.
"A turbine in Germany would only generate a third of the energy that would be generated here.
"In terms of wind energy, we are the Middle East in oil terms.
"They (developers) have invested and approached a number of people about this, yet they come back to Donegal and immediately they are hit by a stone wall."
He said the landowners were seeking a variation of the renewable energy policy in the existing plan, which will not change until mid 2012.
He added: "Donegal County Council must not look back in two to three years time and realise that genuine opportunities were squandered, because of an unduly restrictive and ill-fitting policy, the net effect of which was to discourage innovative and sustainable progress."
Mr Harley emphasized to the councillors he was not looking for planning permission, he said he simply wanted them to 'consider wind energy'.
He added: "I am not asking you to give these boys the green light on the plans, all they are asking for is to be given a chance."
To read the councillors reactions, see page four
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Weather for Derry
Monday 13 February 2012
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