Plans for the construction of two windfarms in Clare have been dealt hammer blows by the local authority and An Bord Pleanála.
Its after proposals for twelve turbines in the west of the county were refused planning permission.
In late March, Ballykett Green Energy LTD lodged plans for 4 wind turbines in Kilrush, each of which would have measured up to 150m in height.
The company promised a community benefit fund worth €1.5m , enough renewable electricity to power 10,000 nearby homes and to eliminate the possibility of shadow flicker from the movement of turbine blades.
But local stakeholders raised significant concerns, with 86 public submissions made to the local authority during the planning process.
Among the chief concerns cited by the collection of residents, known as the Ballykett Action Group , was the potential environmental impact on the local rivers and disturbance to the underground water table.
The group also raised the issue of traffic congestion on roads it claimed were unsuitable for Heavy Goods Vehicles as well as fears that local home owners would suffer significant property devaluation.
Clare County Council Senior Planner Helen Quinn ultimately refused planning permission on the grounds of potential adverse impacts to local ecosystems and that the rural landscape of the area would be negatively altered.
6.5km from Miltown Malbay, plans for an 8 turbine windfarm with blades ranging up to 175m in height were also met with refusal.
An Bord Pleanála upheld the decision made by Clare County Council in December 2022 over concerns that the plans by Sliveacurry LTD would cause extensive pollution to local water bodies during construction.
