Erecting windfarm planning notice on ESB pole criticised by Mayo councillors

TWO north Mayo councillors have questioned the competence of a major wind energy company after a planning notice for a proposed windfarm in Erris was erected on an electricity pole.

The monthly meeting of the Westport/Belmullet Municipal District heard comments from Erris-based councillors who revealed that a planning notice for the proposed Muingmore windfarm project was erected on a pole close to a 'Danger Keep Away' warning sign.

RWE Renewables Ireland proposes to develop a windfarm consisting of 13 wind turbines with a capacity of up to 86MW in an area located approximately 11km west of Bangor Erris and approximately 4km north of Geesala.

The project has been opposed by local tourism and business groups in the barony who claimed that the wind turbines for the Muingmore Project will reach a height of 180 metres to the blade tip and will affect every person and business in the Erris region.

Fine Gael councillor Gerry Coyle who lives close to the proposed windfarm raised the matter at the meeting where he showed a photo of the sign to other members of the council.

“These are the people who are supposed to be protecting our environment but they have no care for their own workers or the environment or anyone. That is an electricity pole which you are not supposed to tie or nail anything to but there it is...danger keep away is that clear enough,” he said.

Cllr Coyle, who has criticised the number of windfarms proposed for the Erris region, questioned how companies are able to get planning permission when people have to prove local links to the area in order to build a house.

Belmullet-based councillor Seán Carey was also critical of the company for blatantly ignoring the warning signs on the pole.

“When you see an organisation like that who have been chosen to do a big project like this and they are not even adhering to the [danger] sign in front of them it is hard to have confidence in them in any project they are involved in if they are starting like that. They are blatantly ignoring the warning that is there and it is hard to have confidence if they are going on like that,” he said.

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On its website, RWE stated that the Muingmore project is located in an area of appropriate wind speeds with suitable available land on which to develop a wind farm.

“It occupies a sufficient area of land to accommodate a wind farm while keeping an appropriate distance from dwellings in line with government guidelines, that of four times tip height which for a 200m tip height turbine, is 800m from the nearest dwelling.”

They also stated that it will bring 'tangible local benefits' such as employment opportunities during the construction and operation phases and 'possible payments' under the Renewable Energy Support Scheme (RESS) to a Community Benefit Fund, or a specific Community Benefit Fund from RWE.