Wind farm company seeks planning approval

Element Power, the company behind the planned series of wind farms across north Meath, has published its formal application for planning permission this week.

In a planning notice published in this week's Meath Chronicle, North Meath Wind Farm Ltd has given notice that it is applying for approval for three wind farm clusters in over 50 townlands, including Wilkinstown, Kilbeg, Carlanstown, Castletown, Lobinstown and Oristown.

The development is to consist of a total of 46 individual turbines which will have a maximum height of 169 metres (554 feet).

Fine Gael TD for Meath East, Regina Doherty, has called on the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Alan Kelly, to immediately implement new temporary planning guidelines to deal with wind farm applications, specifically in relation to the application made for 'a vast wind farm in north County Meath'.

She said she was calling on Minister Kelly to immediately and urgently issue new temporary planning guidelines. 'This was supposed to be done by the end of this year but due to the number of submissions received, I have been informed that it will be January or February 2015 before this happens,' she said. 

She added: “This week, an application was made for a huge wind farm in north County Meath consisting of 46 turbines with a maximum height of a massive 169m and a permanent meteorological mast of 80m. It is proposed that this industrial project would be located in what is a rural, but highly residential area, and I find it totally unacceptable that a vast project such as this would be allowed to slip through the net without proper scrutiny.'

She said temporary guidelines are needed now to fill the void before the official new regulations are ready to be implemented. 'We cannot allow applications to sneak through a broken process,” Deputy Doherty said.