A TD has called on the government to publish guidelines on wind farm development, saying that people “need legally binding rights” on the issue.
In the Dáil, Laois-Offaly TD Carol Nolan called on Tánaiste Micheál Martin to provide a specific timeline for when the revised Wind Energy Development Guidelines will be published.
Nolan has been calling for these guidelines to be published for a number of years.
She told the Tánaiste: “There have been draft guidelines since 2019 and nothing has moved since then.
“There are many communities like mine in Co. Offaly, where there is a rich heritage bog, Leamonaghan Bog, which is rich in monastic heritage and has links to Clonmacnoise.
“There is a proposal to put a wind farm there which is absolutely ludicrous and against the wishes of many members of the community. Communities feel disillusioned, frustrated and angered that there are no protections and their rights are not being upheld,” Nolan added.
“The guidelines need to be published urgently. People need rights. Legally binding rights and protections are needed for communities like Leamonaghan, which, may I add, is a bog rich in habitats,” she added.
The independent TD claimed that the development of a wind farm on Leamonaghan Bog would damage not only the natural habitat there, but also negatively impact the area’s cultural heritage.
“If a wind farm went into that area, it would lead to the destruction of the habitats, flora and fauna, and the destruction of our monastic heritage in that area.”
In response, the Tánaiste said: “I am not in a position to bring clarity to an exact timeline for new guidelines on wind farms. I acknowledge it has been an issue for quite some time.”
In a subsequent comment, Nolan said: “I find it absolutely ludicrous that I have been raising this matter since at least 2020, and all I and indeed other deputies are getting in reply is a variation of ‘it is not possible to provide a timeline for publication’.
“The current legislation around wind turbine guidance dates from 2016 and is widely accepted to be deficient in a number of areas,” Nolan claimed.
She added: “Given the scale of the government’s ambition around the future of off-shore and in-shore wind farms, it is absolutely vital that the right of communities to have a formative say in their development or opposition is protected.”