Windfarm objectors meet €12k cost to begin legal action
SLIABH Luachra Windfarm Awareness Group has met with a legal firm in Dublin to begin its fight against a proposed windfarm in Gneeveguilla.
€12,000 had to raised within days to engage a legal team to take the fight against the 12 proposed wind turbines to the High Court and this target has been met.
Funds came from the local community and from supporters in the US as well as anonymous donations from the community.
In total, €120,000 will have to be raised for the legal action and a major fundraising drive is underway within the local community, who are determined to fight the proposed windfarm to the bitter end.
Almost 150 people attended a public meeting last week to discuss the next step in their fight against the development which residents believe will destroy their local community and it was agreed to take a judicial review to the High court.
Kerry County Council had refused planning for the windfarm but this was appealed to An Bord Pleanála and they granted planning for 12 turbines - some of which are close to home within the community.
There was a lot of anger at the meeting last week some of which was directed towards Independent TD, Danny Healy Rae, over his company’s involvement in other windfarm projects.
Spokesperson for Sliabh Luachra Windfarm Awareness group, Fred O’Sullivan said this week that progress had been made.
“The legal team are confident and have requested the file form An Bord Plenála. They will have to lodge papers by the end of January,” he explained.
“There are 50 groups around the country in the same position and we have great strength in the community.”
Some major fund-raisers are being organised to raise the rest of the funds for the lengthy legal battle.
A website at www.slwag. com has been set up and a Go Fund Me Page is also taking donations and has already raised almost €10,000. A CASE of drink driving was dismissed against a Listowel man who had led gardaí on a late-night car chase last March, after the court heard that gardaí had conducted part of their investigation in the case on the man’s own property.
John O’Connor, Knockane, Listowel, was before Judge David Waters on Thursday at Listowel District Court; where he contested a charge of drunken driving and three counts of dangerous driving.
Garda Danny O’Mahony told the court that at 1.48am on Saturday, March 10 last, he was on duty in a personnel carrier when he observed silver peugeot 12-KY-3333 coming from William Street onto the Clieveragh road roundabout with no lights on.
Gda O’Mahony activated the blue lights but the vehicle failed to stop and continued on the John B Keane Road towards the Dromin junction. There, the car drove straight through a red light at what gardaí described as a ‘ blind’ junction to turn up Dromin to hit speeds of up to 120kph, almost colliding with a ditch at one point. Gardaí followed at a safe distance until the car pulled into a house in Knockane. The garda entered the ‘curtilage’ of the home where he was met by a male who said: “Are ye fucking serious? Get the fuck out of here”. The man had all the characteristics of a ‘ drunk person’ and gave his name as John O’Connor; telling gardaí he did not stop as ‘I had a few drinks’ - gardaí said. Gardaí said breath specimens the defendant gave at Listowel Garda Station after his arrest returned a reading of 53mcg of alcohol per 100ml of breath.
Solicitor Charlie O’Connor - who questioned gardaí at length - told the court that he did not believe there was any evidence given of an opinion being formed ‘in a public place’. Judge Waters ruled that the garda powers of arrest do not allow for gardaí to enter a private dwelling to investigate - only to carry out an arrest.
He said he had ‘ no doubt’ Mr O’Connor’s driving was to evade gardaí; disqualifying Mr O’Connor for two years on one dangerous driving charge. Recognisance was fixed.