A Kerry county councillor has claimed that communities have been “ripped apart” by the development and installation of wind farms.

The comments follow a submission by the Office of the Planning Regulator (OPR) on the draft Kerry County Development Plan 2022-2028.

Kerry County Council has proposed a requirement that any future wind farm development must be set back at least one kilometre from any residential property.

However, the OPR said that the zoning methodology lacked “a clear policy of evidence basis” and would have “the potential to significantly and unreasonably limit wind energy development”.

The office asked the local authority to review the proposal to ensure that the county can contribute to overall national targets for renewable energy.

Currently, Kerry, which has 3% of the national population, produces almost a fifth of the total national wind generation.

Kerry County Council previously outlined that its policy is to support, in principle and in appropriate locations, the sustainable development of wind energy resources.

A detailed survey of the county by the local authority saw the amount of land designated as suitable for wind farms reduced by over 90%.

Councillor response

Independent Kerry county councillor Jackie Healy-Rae has hit out at the OPR submission stating that the body should be looking after people first and not criticising the local authority’s plans.

“Kerry has played more than an acting role in the significant contribution to renewable energy with a capacity of 742MW.

“We have 362 wind turbines erected in Kerry since the first one was granted planning permission in 1997.

“Kerry has been a playground for wind energy companies for decades and now that we in Kerry County Council are seeking to put in tighter controls both wind energy companies and the OPR do not like it as it does not suit their agenda for rural Ireland,” Healy-Rae claimed.

The councillor said that guidelines for wind farm developments had been “stagnant” since 2006.

“Local communities have been ripped apart by the development and installation of wind farms.

“People’s homes cannot be sacrificed for renewable energy. Nobody I know is against turbines, they just want them in the right place,” the councillor concluded.