An Bord Pleanála refuses wind turbine application near Killybegs

An Bord Pleanála has refused permission for an 81-metre wind turbine near Killybegs, which had been granted planning permission by Donegal County Council.

Natural Forces Renewable Energy Limited had applied for a 99-metre wind turbine with an overall tip height of 169 metres in the townland of Cullion, but the plan was reduced to an 81-metre wind turbine with an overall tip height of 149.61 metres.

Proposed within the development was a provision of a site entrance and access track within the site, and the construction of an on-site 20kV substation, underground electrical cable, and all associated site development and ancillary works. 

Donegal County Council had initially granted planning permission in June 2024 with 25 conditions attached, however, this has now been overturned by An Bord Pleanála. 

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However, An Bord Pleanála stated that the proposal was an extension to a previously authorised development, which would result in a combined project, and that an Environmental Impact Assessment of the proposal would therefore be mandatory in this instance. 

An Bord Pleanála heard the grounds of appeal, which included the belief that the proposed wind turbine was a “cumulative development”, as it would have been the fifth wind turbine nearby once another granted wind turbine had been built. 

The appellant also argued that the topography was “fragile,” with the potential for landslides, and that Cullion was an area of historical value and was once a thriving community, with “traditional cottages, mass rocks, and possibly an old church with burial grounds.”

In response, the applicant stated no indication of peat landslides and that the local biodiversity issues in Cullion would not be affected by the building of the wind turbine. 

An Bord Pleanála, in their order refusing permission for the development, said in the absence of an Environmental Impact Assessment Report, they were “precluded from giving further consideration to the granting of permission for the development, the subject of the application.”