Donegal turbine decision will not be appealed

A spokesperson for a Gaoth Dobhair campaigning group said they were very happy that no appeal has been lodged in relation to plans for a wind turbine that Donegal County Council planners rejected last month.

"It was people power and it was common sense at the end of the day," a spokesperson for the group, Stad an Tuirbín Gaoithe, said.

Stad an Tuirbín Gaoithe had led community opposition to plans for a 123.5-metre-high turbine proposed for the Gaoth Dobhair Business Park. Council planners refused planning permission for the structure a month ago.

Lir Energy Ltd., a company based in Letterfrack, County Galway, had applied to the council to erect the single turbine on the Údarás na Gaeltachta-owned site in Derrybeg, Gaoth Dobhair.

"It's a pity that the project was even contemplated in the first instance," the Stad an Tuirbín Gaoithe spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said the campaign showed "how the community was able to gear up together, to speak to Údarás, to speak to the planning department, to make their voices heard that this wasn't a good idea where it was. The community itself, community activation, was able to work positively together.

"It's brilliant," he said.

More than 120 objections to the project had been delivered to council offices in Dungloe by members of the local group and other members of the public.

Campaigners said they opposed the project on the basis of its scale and size. They said they did not oppose wind energy projects, but opposed the location of this proposed turbine because of its proximity to houses and businesses.