Revised proposal for Mourne windfarm
Mountaineering Ireland is asking members to submit their views in relation to a windfarm development proposed within the Mourne Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB); public consultation closes next Tuesday 13th October.
Developers are making a third attempt to secure planning approval for a windfarm on an upland site at Gruggandoo, south of Hilltown. The site is on an undulating broad ridge at approximately 300 metres. The number of turbines proposed has been reduced from an initial 12 in 2015 to eight in the latest application, however the turbine height has increased to 142.5 metres making them visible from many summits in the Mournes, Slieve Gullion and the Cooley Mountains.
Mountaineering Ireland is supportive of renewable energy development, but is firmly of the view that this is not a suitable location for an industrial-scale windfarm.
Concerns about the proposal include:
- The proposal does not seem compatible with the protection of AONBs under planning policy, it would undermine of the integrity of the AONB designation and create an unwelcome precedent for further developments within the Mourne AONB.
- The windfarm would diminish the quality of the experience enjoyed by those who walk and climb in the Mournes, Slieve Gullion and the Cooley Mountains;
- The quantity and height of the turbines would dominate the surrounding landscape;
- The proposed development would change the relatively wild and natural character of this upland landscape forever.
Mountaineering Ireland’s previous comments on this development are available here. In keeping with our strategic objective to be a voice for the protection of mountain landscapes, Mountaineering Ireland will be submitting further comments in response to the current application.
Members of the public can submit their views by sending an email to planning@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk, make sure to quote the planning reference P/2015/0218/F. Remember the closing date for submissions is Tuesday 13th October.
Full details of the application can be accessed on http://epicpublic.planningni.gov.uk/publicaccess/, see also the Mourne AONB against Wind Farms Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/savemourne