Council calls a halt to Banogue solar farm plan
WEXFORD County Council has refused planning permission for a solar farm on a 28.52 hectare site at Banogue, and Tomsilla Upper, Courtown.
Elgin Energy Services Ltd sought permission for solar panels laid out in arrays on ground mounted frames; with 15 single storey inverter units; a single storey on-site ESB terminal; four steel storage containers; 18 pole-mounted CCTV cameras; access tracks, and security fencing; as well as improvement works to the existing right-of-way from the Fairy Lane.
A letter on the planning file from the landowner Numitor Ltd, based in Rathnew, Co Wicklow, signed by director Alan Clarke, indicated that permission was given for the land to be used for the project.
Four submissions were received from local residents who expressed various concerns about the project.
In refusing permission, Wexford County Council said that having regard to the permitted development of a solar farm on an adjacent site, insufficient information had been submitted ‘regarding the potential for cumulative impacts on the landscape and on residential amenity arising from glint and glare.’
Continuing its reasons for refusal, the Council stated that ‘ there is also a lack of guidance at national, regional and local level in relation to the appropriate location, scale and distribution of future proposals for solar power.’
Summarising its considerations, the Council said that ‘ having regard to the scale of the proposed development, taken in conjunction with the adjacent permitted development, and its potential impacts on the rural character of the area, the visual amenity of the landscape and the amenities of residential property, the Planning Authority is not satisfied that the proposed development would not seriously injure the amenities of the area or of property in the vicinity, or that the proposed development would not be premature pending the adoption of national, regional or local guidance or strategy for solar power.’
The planning inspector’s report explains that directly adjacent to the south of the subject site, permission was recently granted to RES Ltd for a solar farm on a 10 hectare site.
It adds that adjacent to the south west of the site, permission was refused recently to RES Ltd for a solar farm on 11 hectares.
The inspector noted that at the time of writing, 15 solar farms, with an output of 87MW on 177.25 hectares have been granted in Co Wexford.
Four solar farms with an output of 83MW on 165.49 hectares were under appeal.
Three applications, with an output of 20MW on a total of 47.63 hectares were, at the time of writing, before the Council - including the subject application.
Four solar farms, with an output of 69MW on 136.44 hectares, had already been refused - two of which were still within the appeal period.