Objection lodged against Castlelyons solar farm

SUBMISSION CITES MULTIPLE ISSUES OF CONCERN TO THE LOCAL COMMUNITY

THE decision by Cork County Council to give the green light to a solar farm in Castlelyons has been referred to An Bord Pleanála.

Last month planners gave Amarenco Ltd the all clear to develop the facility at Ballinvarrig East, Deerpark - almost a year after an application for a similar facility on the same 8.5 hectare site was shot down.

It brought to nine the number of such facilities planned by the Cork-based company across the county to have been granted planning permission.

Combined, they would have the capacity to generate 45 mega watts of clean and renewable solar energy, enough to power up to 10,000 homes, that would be fed back into the national grid.

In granting permission for the revised application at the Castlelyons site, planners stipulated 20 conditions that must be adhered to by Amarenco Solar.

They dealt largely with issues such as traffic safety, the protection of local wildlife and fauna, noise emissions, water quality and archaeological preservation.

Planners also stipulated that the all structures including the 22,200 photovoltaic panels on ground mounted frames, be removed not later that 25-year after commissioning unless planning permission has been granted for its retention.

However, it has now emerged the decision to grant permission for the facility has been referred to the appeals board following the lodging of an objection with the council in the name of Castleyons Development. In their lengthy submission, signed by Garrett Verling, they citied a number of reasons why they maintain construction of the solar farm should not be allowed to go ahead, raising concerns about the suitability of the site in question.

These include, but are not limited to, the potential for a “serious pollution/contamination risk to the Castlelyons water supply”, flooding, noise levels, the potential fire risk from the solar panels, access to the site, and the destruction of archaeological artefacts under the surface of the proposed site.

The submission further pointed out that the was no national or regional strategy for solar farms and that, given the proliferation of similar facilities in the area, the “wave of solar farms” should be put on hold until such a strategy is published.

“We wish to make the point that our communities are not against solar farms and the general principle of renewable energy. It has a critical to play in providing energy to communities. The serious concern we have with this application is that the proposed site is not suitable for a solar farm,” read part of the submission.

It concluded by saying it was critical that the planning authority identify the most suitable sites for commercial solar installations in relation to their size and the impact on the lives of nearby residents.

“Residents who have worked hard all their lives to pay mortgages on their homes will undoubtedly see their houses devalued. But what will be fare worse is if these installations impact negatively on their daily lives,” it read.

“When that is the case, permission should be refused.”

An Bord Pleanála is due to make its final decision on the case by the end of August.