My press release is below urging Meath County Councillors to make a variation to the County Development Plan to include restrictions on the development of Windfarms in Meath............... While the recent decision by Meath County Councillors to call on Element Power not to submit any planning application until the updated wind energy government guidelines are published is welcome, Cllr Sean Drew has urged the County Councillors to go further. The Kells based Fianna Fail Town Councillor is suggesting that Meath County Councillors immediately commence the process to make a variation to the Meath County Development Plan in line with the Wind Farm restriction proposals for the new Westmeath and Offaly County Development Plans. The current Meath County Development Plan 2013 to 2019 which came into effect in January of this year includes minimal reference to the development of wind farms in the County. However County Councillors in both Offaly and Westmeath are proposing to include major restrictions on the building of wind farms in their six year Development Plans presently been drawn up. A wind strategy for Offaly that is part of a draft county development plan set for public display later this month is to stipulate that industrial wind turbines be erected no closer than two kilometres from villages, settlements and EU designated areas such as the Slieve Blooms and Shannon Callows. Westmeath County Councillors have voted to tighten up its policies on industrial wind farms in their new county development plan, set to come into force in February 2014 . The new measure says that the council will strictly direct industrial wind projects to cutaway or cutover bogs. It also lays down a definition of what constitutes an industrial wind farm development - one containing turbines of over 100m to blade tip; one of five or more turbines; or one with an output of 5 MW. The councillors also opted to approve a proposal that turbines of 100m or more be required to be set back from residences by a distance of 10 times the height of the turbine. Cllr Drew noted “that both Offaly and Westmeath Councillors are in the process of drawing up their development plans for the next six years whereas the Meath development plan has already been passed and adopted in January. However there is still a process by which the adopted Meath plan may be amended. During the lifetime of a development plan, the planning authority may by way of a variation, adjust the objectives and policies of a development plan in order to take account of different circumstances or issues unforeseen at the time of the original making of the development plan.I am urging Meath Councillors, all who have it within their power, to immediately bring forward proposals to make a variation to their Development Plan to put in place restrictions on wind farms similar to those of Offaly and Westmeath particularly in relation to the minimum setback distance. Cllr Drew concluded by stating that he fully understood that the decision of County Councils to include restrictions could yet ultimately be over-ruled at national level, as An Bord Pleanála could opt to override the development plan restrictions. The new wind energy guidelines currently under preparation by the government may take precedence over the detail in County Development Plans. However An Bord Pleanála has confirmed recently while it does, occasionally, go against the provisions of a county development plan, it is only in a minority of cases. The board must take very strong account of a development plan as under legislation, a county development plan holds considerable weight. A spokesperson for An Bord Pleanála recently said that ministerial guidelines tend to take precedence over a local development plan, particularly where it’s out of step with most other development plans. It is therefore imperative that as many county development plans throughout the midlands reflect the feelings of their local communties and are adjusted to include similar and compatible restrictions on the building of wind farms.I would hope that this will focus the minds of our County Councillors and that they take the neccessary action to amend the Meath County Development Plan as a matter of urgency.
Posted on: Wed, 23 Oct 2013 22:32:26 +0000